The Others Who Were Lost
by Skaz Wolfman
Summary: In the aftermath of 3D, there are a few loose ends that need tying up before the epic saga of the original Organization XIII can be resolved. The Others who have returned band together and set out to find the Others who are still missing, and hopefully find clues as to Lord Ansem's whereabouts and Master Xehanort's next moves. Wish them luck; they're going to need it.
1. The Quest

There are many worlds, but they all share the same sky. And in that sky, each world appears to the others as nothing more than a distant twinkling star. From such a distance, each world seems miniscule and insignificant, but the overwhelming multitude of worlds is undeniable to those who know what those stars really are. One of these worlds is called Radiant Garden, which is still undergoing repairs from the great destruction that happened there more than ten years ago.

In that world there was a ruined castle that had long served as the headquarters of a vicious sorceress named Maleficent, back when the world had been called Hollow Bastion. But before she had moved in, and before Radiant Garden had fallen into Darkness, this castle had been the proud home of a great man who had been the beloved sovereign of Radiant Garden. His name was Ansem, and he was often known as Ansem the Wise. He had shared this home with first four, then five, and then six younger apprentices.

Right up until two of them had tricked the other four into helping them betray Ansem and banish him to the Realm of Nothingness, from which there should have been no escape. But few things are impossible for a brilliant, resourceful, and determined man, and when such a man turns his thoughts to vengeance, and when those vengeful thoughts consume him to the point of obsession…well, such a man can be terrifying indeed. But I digress.

So the years passed, and I'm sure the story that unfolded is one familiar to you. Otherwise, why would you be _here_? And now the present day finds this castle home, not to a wise old king or a devious sorceress, but to four lost souls who have only recently found themselves…by regaining their very hearts.

Behold Dilan, once known as Xaldin the Whirlwind Lancer, one of Wise Ansem's first four apprentices, and one of his fellows, Aeleus, who was once known as Lexaeus the Taciturn Stalwart. Currently, the two old friends, colleagues, more-or-less brothers, and boon companions in any case, were engaged in a game of backgammon. Because once you've played chess together as many times as they have, it gets hard to find excitement in going through the same old strategic patterns, and you find yourself wanting something with a bit more of a chance element in it. But our focus is not on them, at least not yet, but on the youngest and the oldest of the castle's current occupants, the former presently seated in an armchair in the corner of a different room of the castle.

Meet Ienzo, formerly Zexion the Cloaked Schemer, reading one of his favorite books and, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, actually _enjoying_ it, rather than reading it simply because he remembered that he read it with great frequency and should therefore continue to do so because…well, that's a psychological rabbit hole for another time. The room Ienzo is seated in is easily the most well cleaned room in the ruins, not counting the computer room, and it was thanks to Ienzo himself and for the sake of the room's other occupant, the eldest of the castle's four inhabitants. The man named Even, who had once been called Vexen, the Chilly Academic.

As of this day it had been nearly two months since Ienzo, Aeleus, Dilan, Even, and their friend Lea had awoken in the computer room. Ienzo, Aeleus, and Lea had gotten up and around almost immediately, but Dilan and Even had taken longer to recover. And although he was physically just fine, if a bit lackluster in terms of appetite, Even had made no effort to get out of his bed for any reason but to use the bathroom or something else equally necessary.

It pained Ienzo to see the dullness in his old mentor's eyes, but he knew as well as the others did how harrowing their experiences as Nobodies had been, and particularly the end of those experiences. Ienzo had nightmares of Zexion's death at the hands of the Riku Replica almost every night since he had awoken as a newly restored Somebody, and judging by Lea's complete refusal to get any closer to Even than absolutely necessary prior to his abrupt decision to set out in search of the others, Ienzo had to suppose that Vexen's death at Axel's hands must have been just as unpleasant, or perhaps worse. Death by fire was horrible enough just to imagine, let alone to actually suffer through.

But again, I digress. This story begins on this day, of all days, for a reason, and it was because it was on this day that Even spoke directly to someone for the first time all month. "Ienzo," he said, his voice somewhat raspy from lack of use. Ienzo flinched in surprised, and quickly snapped his book shut and leaned forward.

"Yes, sir? Is there something you need? Are you hungry, or thirsty? Is it too cold in here, or too warm? Do you–"

"Ienzo," Even repeated sternly, "I…am sorry."

Ienzo frowned in puzzlement. "Sorry? Whatever for, sir?"

"Oh, many things," said Even, turning his eyes to the ceiling, looking deeply into the past. "But at present, I'm referring to an occasion when you asked me to put a nightlight in your room; you remember, don't you? It was about a year after you came to the castle, when Lord Ansem said it was time to move you out of Aeleus's room and into one of your own. I was tasked with putting you to bed that night, and you told me you were afraid to be alone in the dark and asked for a nightlight. I laughed and told you that nightlights are utterly superfluous. I was…insensitive. I am…deeply sorry for that, Ienzo."

Ienzo's frown only deepened. "But sir, you were right. There was nothing for me to fear in the dark that wasn't there in the light. It was scary, but I grew out of my childish fears thanks to you."

"No, Ienzo, _I_ was wrong. There is a great deal to fear in darkness, and there is nothing wrong with giving a child a nightlight." Even pushed himself up into a half-sitting position with his elbows and looked at Ienzo again. "I'm also sorry about the times I refused to play games with you, or scolded you for occasionally sneaking a cookie from the jar, or was irritable at you for crying over something I thought trivial…I once said that we did our best to raise you in your late parents' stead. And while that may have been true of the others, I…I could have done better. I don't blame you for looking up to Aeleus more than I; he was by far and away a much better 'brother' to you than I ever was."

Ienzo's eyes widened and he jumped up to his feet, sending his forgotten book tumbling to the floor, landing on its spine and falling open. "Sir, no! You have it all wrong. It's true that I was more comfortable around Aeleus, but…but sir, it was always you that I admired most, even more than our Lord Ansem. That's why I constantly wore that ridiculously small lab coat that I asked Aeleus to make for me. It was always _your_ footsteps I aspired to follow in, sir–"

Even abruptly started laughing–he had found that since regaining his heart, his emotional responses, laughter in particular, were a bit more hair trigger than before–and said, "Ienzo, you don't need to keep calling me 'sir'. You're hardly a child anymore. In fact, I'd much prefer you ceased calling me 'sir' from now on. It makes me feel _old_. Besides, it's most irregular to call your older brother 'sir'. So from now on, Even it is, yes?"

"I…yes, s–I mean, yes, Even," Ienzo stammered. He even blushed a bit. Then he smiled and said, "Is _that_ what's been eating you alive these last few weeks? Ruminating on how you could have been more nurturing?"

Even's face fell. In fact, it fairly well seemed to drain of color. He flopped back down on his back sucked in a deep, shaky breath. "No, I'm afraid that's not even the half of it."

Ienzo moved to sit back down, noticed his book, picked it up and closed it, and then returned to his seat. "Would you care to talk about it…Even? Talking helps, as Aeleus and Lord Ansem worked tirelessly to teach me all those years ago."

"Hmm…yes, I've been thinking in a vacuum ever since I awoke from that long nightmare," Even mused aloud, "It would do my mind good to share these thoughts with another, if only to make sure I'm not losing my mind over nothing. Alright, let's see–oh!" He lifted his head to look at Ienzo and said, "You should get something to write this down for posterity. I haven't gotten around to recording any of this yet."

"Perhaps you should start keeping a diary," Ienzo suggested lightly as he fished a loose-leaf notepad and a mechanical pencil out of the inner pockets of his lab coat, "I know Dilan finds it quite therapeutic."

Even laughed again, and with a bit more color in his cheeks than before he pulled himself up into a fully sitting position. Ienzo gave his elder a nod to signal that he was ready to begin taking notes, and Even began. "Alright then…we all remember our experiences as Nobodies, just as our Nobodies in turn remembered their previously human existences. What is less clear is where our Nobodies acquired their…let us call them 'attributable abilities'." Ienzo gave him a puzzled look, and Even patiently explained, "Xaldin's wind powers, Vexen's ice, Zexion's illusions?"

"But sir–sorry, Even, we possessed abilities like those before. You, Dilan, and Aeleus always favored ice, wind, and earth magic over other elements, and Braig was always quite adept at teleportation."

"True, but Vexen's ice powers put mine to shame, and the same for Xaldin and Lexaeus compared to Dilan and Aeleus. You had yet to master the basics of magic by the time you lost your heart, let alone being anywhere close to Zexion's level of illusionary skill. Lea was _not_ a pyrokinetic, nor did Isa have Saïx's Berserker powers. And while we have significantly less data regarding Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene's Others, thanks to Lea's reports we _do_ know that Roxas went on to demonstrate a number of abilities, mostly Light-based, that Sora has still yet to exhibit. Notably, it was Roxas who became the first known…entity…to dual-wield Keyblades; an ability that, according to Lea, Sora typically needs to use a Drive Form to utilize."

Ienzo blinked. "I hadn't even realized you were reading Lea's reports."

Even just smiled back. "Now, as I was saying…I've been considering our personalities, and those exhibited by our Nobodies' colleagues, and I've rendered a hypothesis. We know that a Nobody is the reanimated remnants of a being that has lost its heart; the body, soul, mind, and memories, in other words. It is through one's power of will–the very strength of their consciousness and _personality_ , that is–that this reanimation occurs.

"And we know that the strength of a person's will and, by extension, the strength of the resulting Nobody corresponds to the relative degree of humanity of the Nobody's appearance. In other words, the more powerful the will of the Somebody, the stronger the Nobody they leave behind, and the stronger the Nobody, the more human it appears. It thus stands to reason that the _most_ powerful of Nobodies, those who were members of Organization XIII, our own Nobodies included, were generated from Somebodies of the utmost willpower. In other words, beings with inordinately powerful force of _personality_.

"Then, because these Nobodies were beings whose existence defied the very Law of Nature that binds the worlds themselves, they gained power _beyond_ natural limits. This much we know for certain, so what follows is merely my own conjecture. For starters, one would think that 'power beyond Nature's Law' would mean unlimited power, but seeing as all thirteen members of Organization XIII were destroyed by Somebodies–except for Vexen and Zexion, that is, who were destroyed by Axel and Vexen's Riku Replica, respectively…speaking of which, I feel I ought to apologize to you for the part that Vexen played in Zexion's demise–"

"Not at all," Ienzo said with a casual wave of his hand, "Zexion's destruction was a necessary and inevitable prerequisite for my own recompletion, as Vexen's was for you. That is why I held no grudge against Lea for Axel's much more proactive role in Zexion's death, and Dilan and Aeleus have expressed no interest in tracking Sora and Riku down to avenge _their_ Nobodies either. Water under the bridge, I say."

"Well, thank you," said Even, inclining his head gratefully, "Now…where was I?"

"You were explaining that despite being outside of the limits of Nature, the Nobodies obviously couldn't have _truly_ possessed unlimited power due to the fact that _most_ of them were destroyed by Somebodies who existed _within_ the limits of Nature," Ienzo reminded him.

"Ah, yes. Now, we must ask ourselves _why_ the Nobodies possessed limited power, despite their unnatural natures…er, unnatural states? The only viable hypothesis I've thought of so far is that they were limited by their memories to a human frame of mind, and thus could not wield unlimited power due to their inability to _conceptualize_ , to _visualize_ , and ultimately to _internalize_ the very idea of unlimited power.

"To use their power to any extent, I postulate that the Nobodies had to channel their limitless potential into a limited framework so that they could conceptualize, visualize, and internalize their abilities. Because all of this is psychological, all in their heads as it were, their frameworks developed out of their personalities into what we will call 'attributes'. Because Xehanort had the most comprehensive understanding of what he was trying to create with these Nobodies, it is only natural that Xemnas came closest to actualizing the fully limitless potential of an unnatural being, thus wielding the attribute of Nothingness.

"In fact, I feel we must assume that in order to defeat Xemnas the Keyblade wielders, Sora and Riku, must have somehow achieved a power beyond their own natural limits. It actually seems quite probable, given what all we know about them; Sora, a Keyblade wielder who was never truly chosen and who, by rejoining with his Nobody, gained the unique ability to dual wield Keyblades, and Riku, the first known Keyblade wielder to fall to Darkness, come back, _conquer_ his Darkness, and then achieve harmony with both the Light _and_ the Darkness. And they are the best of friends, and if recent events have taught us anything it is that the power of friendship is nothing to sneeze at; it may well be the key to unlocking the deepest powers of the heart that we tried in vain to understand from a more scientific standpoint."

Even fell silent for a while and looked pensive. Ienzo feared he might have lapsed back into anxious ruminations, but then he came back to the present and continued speaking. "Braig, for all his cunning and conniving, was never really a terribly original thinker, so I'm not surprised his power simply bled into a greater degree of mastery over his chosen specialty; the attribute of Space. Dilan and Aeleus were martial artists who gained their skills through rigorous training and repetition, so it is also natural that their power would manifest as attributes familiar to them; Wind and Earth, respectively.

"You, due to the trauma of your early childhood, were quite given to hiding your true feelings for the most part, and you were always remarkably intuitive even by the high standard set by most children, so Illusion was indeed a fitting attribute for you. It goes without saying that Lea's rambunctious energy would became Axel's Fire, and as for Isa and Saïx…well, I'm not sure how they fit into my hypothesis, but then the only person who really knows Isa is Lea. As for me and Vexen…well, I think I already established that I was a cold person."

"You weren't _that_ cold, si– _Even_ ," said Ienzo, folding his notepad shut and returning both it and his pencil to his pockets. He stood and stretched. "You should cast off these gloomy thoughts and join us for," he consulted his wristwatch, "Lunch." When Even looked like he was going to protest, Ienzo quickly preempted him with, "Please? For your little brother, Ienzo?" Even closed his mouth and looked thoughtful, and when Ienzo felt he had cross the line into overthinking he threatened, "Don't make me use puppy eyes, Even. For starters, I've never tried it before, even as a child, so it might wind up looking really weird. Scary even."

"Alright, alright," laughed Even, pulling himself out of the bed. He used the bedpost as a crutch to stand for a moment, and then he pushed off and followed Ienzo out of the room.

* * *

"Well, this is a nice surprise," said a smiling Aeleus as Even followed Ienzo into the kitchen/dining room. "You picked a good day to come out of reclusion; Ms. Lockhart brought a pot of her homemade beef stew," he said, pointing at a huge copper kettle sitting on the stove. Aeleus himself was already seated at the table, eating a bowl of stew with a large handkerchief tucked into his shirt. "She's with Leon and Dilan down in the computer room," he added.

"Leon still doesn't trust us?" asked Ienzo. Aeleus shrugged.

"Even if he doesn't," said Even as he fetched a bowl and began serving himself, "I don't see why he bothers playing bodyguard. For one thing, none of us have more than a fraction of the power our Nobodies possessed. For another, that security program still has control of the castle's defense systems, so if we tried anything it would make short work of us. And all that aside, that Lockhart woman's strength is simply _monstrous_. Anyways, I thought she left?"

"She did," confirmed Aeleus, "But she returned the other day. She thinks Master Ansem's computer might contain data she needs."

"About her friend?" asked Even as he sat down across from Aeleus, "He wasn't even from this world, so why would our computer have anything about him?"

"Actually, I'm not sure that's it. I heard her talking to Dilan about something called 'Jenova'," said Aeleus, staring thoughtfully at his empty bowl and contemplating the pros and cons of a fourth helping.

"Tron is not an 'it', he's a 'he', by the way," Ienzo put in as he ladled stew into his own bowl and joined Even and Aeleus at the table. Aeleus made up his mind and returned to the pot. Even opened his mouth to point out that computer programs have no gender, regardless of the personality they're programmed with, and then decided not to. If he wanted his epiphany about the value of sensitivity to mean anything, he had to start letting silly, senseless sentiments slide. Heh, heh, heh, alliteration.

"My mistake," he said instead. Ienzo blinked in surprise, and then gave his 'big brother' a proud smile. Even felt his chest prickle with that warm, fuzzy feeling he was still getting re-accustomed to, and involuntarily he smiled back. Returning to his seat at the table, Aeleus noticed this and couldn't help but beam as well.

Then Dilan walked in, saw his three cohabitants grinning like idiots at each other, and decided he didn't want to know before making a beeline to the bowl cupboard and then the stew pot. "I see the Professor is out of his sickbed," he remarked as he joined his fellows, sitting across from Ienzo. "Let us hope his improvement sticks. It's high time the lot of us got back out in the world; maybe earn back our citizens' trust."

"You're still upset by Leon's wariness, I take it?" asked Ienzo.

"It's perfectly understandable, really," said Aeleus, "I'm sure the Keybearer told his friends all about what you did at Beast's Castle."

"That _wasn't_ me," Dilan snapped, "That was Xaldin."

"You _were_ Xaldin," Aeleus pointed out. "The only part of you that was missing was your heart. He had your body, your mind and soul, and even your memories. And you have his memories. You and he had everything in common except your feelings, and his lack thereof."

"And that makes all the difference," insisted Dilan, " _I_ never would have tormented that poor…er, 'man', the way _Xaldin_ did."

Ienzo opened his mouth to change the subject before the argument went any further, but Even beat him to it. "I concur with both of your viewpoints," he said, "What Dilan says is true; much as we may have had in common with them, those Nobodies were _not_ the same as us. They more than willingly did things we never even would have contemplated, had it not been for Xehanort clouding our thoughts and twisting our minds. But Aeleus also raises a good point. Those Nobodies used _our_ minds to plot their schemes, used _our_ bodies to execute them, and used _our_ memories to manipulate and injure many hearts along the way. They weren't us, but in a way they _were_ , and we must take some responsibility for their actions." Here again, Ienzo opened his mouth to argue, but Even shot a look his way and pressed on, "We were Xehanort's tools. We must do something to make amends for that."

"We've gone into town every day to help with the restoration," Aeleus pointed out.

"Those of us who weren't busy using an extended convalescence as an excuse to brood about his Nobody's venture as a bona fide Evil Mad Genius or serving as nursemaid to the aforementioned, that is," added Dilan with that teasing smirk of his. "So in other words, just Aeleus and I."

"Hmph. I've been doing much more than playing 'nursemaid'," said Ienzo, "I've been cooking most of our meals, cleaning up the castle, and combing through Tron's databanks for _anything_ that Xehanort might have left there that might serve as a clue to his future intentions."

"You do know that Tron isn't actually the computer, right?" asked Dilan, "He's just a security program that supplanted the failed Master Control Program. Anyways, Lea made it very clear what Xehanort's future intentions were."

"The ends, yes, and a vague outline of the means, but the devil is in the details, Dilan," said Ienzo with a long-suffering tone. "I'm hoping we can find some kind of information about Xehanort's temporal displacement abilities."

"A hundred munny says it hinges on that blasted Keyblade," Dilan remarked.

"I'll take that action," said Aeleus, who decided after a sixth helping that he was ready to rinse out his bowl and leave it to be washed.

"I'm sure there's something _more_ we can do to help than just reconstruction work," said Even, "We're geniuses, every one of us."

"Don't make the mistake of diminishing the intricacy of the restoration effort," said Ienzo, "These people have been at it for nigh on two years now, and they've only repaired a fraction of the damage this world has suffered."

"And in any case, there's only so much the Restoration Committee has _allowed_ us to help with, even after the Keybearer _graciously_ vouched for us," grumbled Dilan. "Not that we should need his good word. Are we not Lord Ansem's apprentices? _We_ should be heading this Restoration Committee, not a scrappy hooligan, an ill-mannered engineer, a hyperactive teenager who thinks she's a ninja, and a _flower girl_."

(In the computer room with Tifa, Leon unexpectedly sneezed. So did Cid, who was drawing schematics for a luxury Gummi Cruiser at his own computer; Yuffie, who was in the middle of pulling off a highly complex and totally radical mid-air maneuver on Scrooge McDuck's skateboard; and Aerith, who was tending to a hidden crop of wildflowers she had found growing in the ruins of a church…)

"To be fair, Leon is hardly what I would call a hooligan, scrappy or otherwise, and Miss Kisagari _is_ a ninja," countered Ienzo, who then smiled as he went to rinse out his bowl, "And I can't help but notice that you didn't insult Merlin."

Dilan sniffed. "He's a _wizard_. I'm frustrated, not addle-brained."

"Yet another excellent reason we should find a more productive use of our time and talents," said Even, "Dilan seems like he could use the outlet."

"For someone who's just spontaneously decided to put an end to two months of solid moping and rumination, you do seem anxious to get in the thick of it," Dilan observed as he, too, went to rinse out his bowl.

"…I don't know about you, but I just feel…that I have a lot to make up for," Even said quietly. "Whether or not we ourselves did any bad of our own volitions, and regardless of what our Nobodies thought they were achieving, the fact is that as instruments of Xehanort's Organization–and we were certainly nothing more than instruments to him–we did a lot of damage. We _need_ to correct that. We need to make amends… _I_ need to make amends."

"Well, Aeleus and I have been thinking it over," Ienzo began.

"And I've been steadfastly arguing against it," put in Dilan.

"And we've also been trying to win him over," Ienzo continued smoothly, "We've been discussing what we ought to do, regarding the remnants of Organization XIII."

"Which really isn't our responsibility, now is it?" asked Dilan, "We're responsible for Radiant Garden; let the Keyblade wielders and their allies defend the worlds from ultimate darkness. We haven't the power that our Nobodies had, so we've no business going out and throwing ourselves headlong into danger that will profit us _nothing_." Throughout this, Dilan remained calm and cool, but his fellows knew him too well; they understood his feelings on the matter as plainly as if he had shouted them to the heavens.

"What do you mean by 'the remnants'?" Even asked, "There's nothing left of Organization XIII. Sora and his cohorts destroyed it all, did they not? Unless…you can't be meaning the _True_ Organization XIII that Lea spoke of? That much is truly well beyond us, considering that Xigbar and Saïx have been further empowered by Xehanort, and Xehanort's Heartless and Xemnas himself have been brought back."

"No, I mean the Others," said Ienzo, "There are four unaccounted for Others; just as the four of us and Lea all came back, just as Xehanort came back and brought Braig and Isa with him, so too does it stand to reason that Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene were all recompleted as well. It is likely they came back in vulnerable and unstable conditions like we did–you and Dilan in particular–and there may well be lingering trauma for them. Aeleus and I feel that we should seek them out, assess their states and do what we can to help them, and offer them the chance to lend aid to the fight against Xehanort. They were used as tools just as the rest of us were; surely they might want a chance to make right what their Nobodies did wrong, or at least see justice done to our common tormentor."

"Quite gracious of you, Ienzo," said Dilan, "But you're forgetting that Demyx was a useless twit, Luxord was insufferable and unreliable, and Marluxia and Larxene both plotted to betray us all."

"Well, it seems someone is having difficulty remembering how to use his newly-regained heart," Even remarked coolly. Dilan growled and took a step forward with balled fists, but Aeleus was quick to interpose himself.

"Demyx was a young man whom I suspect had a very undisciplined upbringing, hardly more feckless than others like him," stated Aeleus, staring Dilan straight in the eyes, "Luxord was a good friend, as far as Nobodies go; a good listener with a talent for lifting spirits…again, for a Nobody. And Marluxia and Larxene were already dealt justice at the Keybearer's hand. Axel also plotted to betray us, and actually did so, but we've all agreed not to begrudge Lea for this…even those of us with the most to blame him for," Aeleus added, glancing over his shoulder at Even and Ienzo.

"Besides," he continued, "they _were_ plotting to betray the villain. We can't really hold that against them. And moreover…you are my friend, Dilan, and as much a brother to me as anyone could be, but…Even is right. You have grown callous since we returned to being whole. I like to think that it is nothing more than general frustration coupled with lingering guilt over your–over Xaldin's crimes. But regardless of the reason behind it, you are starting to act more and more like your Nobody. Like someone who simply doesn't care for those beyond his immediate sight."

"Yes, whatever happened to the man who didn't hesitate to abandon his post to save a boy from danger?" Even asked with an honest smile, "I rather miss him."

Dilan was red in the face and his jaw was tightly clenched, but he finally forced himself to speak levelly, "We don't owe those four _anything_. They were never truly our comrades; we were all just puppets with a common puppeteer. This world, our home, and our citizens; _they_ need us now. We belong _here_."

Even stood, stepped around the table, and gently laid a hand on Dilan's shoulder. "But Dilan, old friend, that's just it. We _were_ puppets with a common puppeteer, and in that sense they _were_ our comrades. Regardless of our differences, we were their elders and they our juniors; we do in fact have a responsibility towards them. And if they feel the way I feel–the way we all feel–about Xehanort, they will want to help bring him down, yes?"

"Besides, Radiant Garden is in good hands," said Ienzo. "And we were never more than Lord Ansem's apprentices. Without him here, we have no right to claim authority…and without him here, this place will never truly be home. _He's_ out there too, somewhere."

Deep down, Dilan realized two things. First, he wasn't going to talk them out of this fool's errand. Second, and much more importantly, they were _right_. Fool's errand though it may be, it was the right kind of foolishness; the kind of heroic, selfless foolishness he himself had been well-known for in his youth. The very quality that had gotten him in so much trouble, constantly chided for throwing himself in harm's way without considering the consequences, and eventually noticed by Lord Ansem, leading to the offer of apprenticeship that had forever changed his life. For the better, he liked to think, even after all that he had been through.

"Ah hell," he muttered, casting his eyes to the floor and shaking his head, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I suppose this means our little vacation is over, eh?" Even smiled, Aeleus grinned, and Ienzo full-on beamed.

"Then it's settled," said the youngest of the four as he stood, "We'll make our preparations and leave tomorrow morning, bright and early, on a mission to find the missing Others and Lord Ansem."

"No, not a mission, Ienzo," said Dilan, "We're going on a _quest_ , like the knights of yore I grew up reading about." Not having a lance on hand, he snatched up the first thing he saw on the counters–a rolling pin–and posed dramatically with it held aloft. The other three couldn't help but crack up laughing.

"Without the ability to open corridors of darkness and the black coats to use them safely, traveling between worlds will require a Gummi ship," Aeleus mused aloud, "And accessing the Lanes Between will require a Keyblade wielder."

"Then it's a good thing we're friends with one," said Ienzo, "And not only is he more than reckless enough to want to join us, but by now I'm sure he's also bored to death of training in the safety of Yen Sid's Tower."

And somewhere worlds away, Lea sneezed.

* * *

A/N: Looking back, I think maybe I've overused the word 'brother'. Almost like I was trying to hammer a nail into a wall. Is the wall _my_ head, or everyone else's? Oh well, I don't really want to change this chapter because I think I made it work, hopefully, so I'll just resolve not to overuse it from here on out. I guess I just felt it was important to firmly establish the relationship dynamics and personalities of our heroes in this chapter. Because I'm such a big fan of it, I used the Four Temperament Ensemble to define our heroes' group dynamic; it all fell into place pretty easily, actually. Even's the Melancholic (kind of brood-y and fixated on redemption), Ienzo's the Sanguine (positive outlook, trying to keep everyone's spirits up), Aeleus is the Phlegmatic (by far the most laid-back and the natural choice to play peacekeeper), and Dilan's the Choleric (Cranky and, as future chapters will show, prone to impulsive behavior). Given what little we've seen of the _real_ Even, Ienzo, Aeleus, and Dilan in the games, it seems like a good fit to me. I don't want to make these guys _too_ sappy, but at the same time I feel that if you went for years without being able to feel any emotions and then got them back, you'd go a little overboard with the sentimentality too. Unless you're Dilan; he definitely seems to me like the type who would keep that stuff to himself.

Well, I should stop yakking your ears off and get to work writing the next chapter, eh what? See you then!

Author Out.


	2. The Preparation

A/N: Thanks to erikfinnvladimir and tuckeyhunger99 for reviewing. Before anyone gets too excited, don't expect me to update this often all the time. I don't really have much free time to write with, so it takes me a while to get out a new chapter. Still, I hope you enjoy my work enough to follow it so you can get an email update when I do post a new chapter. Peace!

* * *

As the only one who had yet to see the newly-in-the-process-of-being-restored Radiant Garden for himself, Even elected to head into town to talk to Cid Highwind about a Gummi ship for their 'quest'. Having lazed in bed for so long, he decided it would be prudent to bring a walking stick to conserve his energy, and after a quick look around the castle he luckily spotted a cane that Lord Ansem had used on bad-weather days when his hip acted up. Coincidentally, he set out at the same time Leon did, which was fortuitous because it had been so long since he'd been to this world, and even back then he'd been a bit of a shut-in, that he probably wouldn't have known how to get around even if everything had been the same as it was before…well, before everything.

Ienzo had taken it upon himself to do the organizing as his mind was even more disciplined than Even's, who had a tendency to occasionally get lost in tangents of thought, whereas Ienzo had never really been much for daydreaming even as a child. Dilan was gathering anything they would need that could be found in the castle, while Aeleus was going to head into town as soon as he was done compiling a list of things they would still need, like foodstuffs and extra toiletries and the like.

As they neared the home of Merlin the Wizard, where Cid and the rest of the Committee could usually be found for most of the day, Even felt compelled to break the not-so-companionable silence between him and the young warrior. "Mr. Leonheart…or, since you changed your given name to Leon, is it now just Mr. Heart?" Even asked, realizing how awkward he sounded even before Leon gave him a funny look, "Uh, never mind, not important. I just wanted to say…thank you. For all that you've done for the citizens of Radiant Garden while we…well, while we were…out of sorts?" Even felt his face heating up and knew that he was blushing from shame, and quickly went on, "When we bring His Lordship home, I'm sure he'll reward you and your friends greatly for your services to our world."

"We didn't do anything for reward or praise," said Leon, "We did what we did because it just needed doing, that's all."

"Yes, well, of course! I just meant that…that I'm–we're grateful. Very much so, yes. After what we…what happened to us…and what we did…I'm just glad someone stepped up to make sure that the people were able to weather the storm. Most of all, I'm just glad that Radiant Garden is looking like itself again." Even's voice cracked near the end of his rambling, and he felt hot moisture stinging the corners of his eyes, and quickly wiped them with his sleeve.

Leon's hand was on the handle of the door, but he suddenly seemed to be hesitant to open it. "Just out of curiosity…what was it like, not having a heart?" he asked. When Even didn't reply right away (because he was thinking of how to but the experience into words) Leon looked him in the eyes and added, "Sora explained that Nobodies have no hearts, and therefore no feelings…but our desires come from our emotions, so if the Organization had no hearts, how was it that you could want them back?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, it felt like _nothing_. Nothing whatsoever. There's really no other way to explain it. But Nature abhors a vacuum, so it was only natural that we would seek to fill the vacuums inside of us. Life is so _terribly_ dull and uninteresting without your emotions. I myself missed the elation I felt whenever I made a breakthrough in the lab. The work I did for the Organization brought me no joy. I was only able to continue on as I did because I knew–or rather I believed–that the only way I would ever feel that elation again was if the Organization succeeded."

"Hmm," said Leon ambiguously as he opened the door. Even followed him inside.

"Well, 'bout time ya got back, Leon," said Cid as he got out of his seat and turned to face them. He noticed Even, and his eyebrows lifted. He took the toothpick out of his mouth and smiled, "Well, well, well, if it aint the Professor himself. What brings you into town?"

"My fellows and I are going to depart soon on a…quest…and we shall require an interspace-traversing vessel of the…gelatinous confectionary variety.

Cid laughed, "You mean a Gummi–"

"I categorically _refuse_ to call it that," Even cut in, "I remember when I was seven years old and gummi worms were my favorite treat. I'm just not comfortable with the thought that the vehicle transporting me between worlds is made of the same substance I used to ingest on an almost daily basis."

"Huh. Ya know it aint really–"

"Yes, I'm aware that the material actually has nothing whatsoever to do with gummi candies. Still, it's a matter of conceptual associations. In any case, do you think you can help us, Mr. Highwind?" Even asked.

"Well, seeing as I'm the only certified Gummi engineer in town, I don't see how I can rightly turn ya down, Professor." Cid pulled a memo pad and a stubby pencil out of his back pocket. "So, what all ya gonna need?"

Even blinked in surprise; he had been expecting some level of resistance, or at least having to bargain for the ship. Based on Dilan's near-constant grumbling and Aeleus's mild despondence, Even had been under the impression that the townsfolk didn't think very highly of them. As if reading his thoughts, Leon spoke up, "It's true that the townsfolk are a little wary about you guys–we spent most of the last ten years thinking you'd all died, then there was that Heartless calling itself Ansem and _then_ we picked up rumors of your involvement with Organization XIII, who gave us more than a little trouble last year, and then you four just pop in out of nowhere. But the last time Sora stopped through here, on his way home, he explained as best he could what you guys had been through. The townsfolk still aren't sure quite what to think, but Sora's word carries a lot of weight with this Committee. He asked us to do anything we could to help you guys."

"I see," said Even. He felt a sudden gush of gratitude towards the Keybearer, and he felt a renewed sense of shame for all the trouble Vexen had given the boy. Particularly the whole 'Riku Replica' business. He had known full well how much it would hurt Sora to make him fight what appeared to be his best friend, but as Vexen he simply hadn't– _couldn't_ have–cared. Even made a mental note to fall down on his hands and knees and beg for Sora's forgiveness the first chance he got. On second thought, maybe he'd offer him a more practical and dignified token of apology, like a kick-ass science-y doo-dad to help him on his adventures. He recalled that armor that Xemnas used to have conversations with, as well as some books he had found in Castle Oblivion on the subject of 'Keyblade Armor'. He wasn't much of a blacksmith, but a suit of magically-reinforced lightweight high-durability collapsible armor shouldn't be too difficult for a genius of his caliber. Assuming he hadn't already gotten a suit of his own from Master Yen Sid.

"Uh, Professor?" Cid asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes! The ship's specifications," said Even, abruptly remembering what he was doing here in the first place. He filed away his thoughts for further reflection at a later time, and quickly went over the list in his head that he had put together on the way into town. "Well, it needs to have room for at least five people, but it should also be able to accommodate as many as ten. We'll be using a shift system, so the sleeping quarters need only accommodate three at a time. Decent weaponry goes without saying, but I'd rather the ship be geared more towards speed and durability over offensive power. Speaking of power, Ienzo and I would like to set up a laboratory on board, so space to accommodate that, plus the highest yield power source you can spare. We'd like Warp capabilities, of course, and the most up-to-date navigational charts you have should also go without saying. What else…ah, is there anything you can provide in terms of escape pods?"

"I've actually been working on an emergency escape system that I'd like to test in the field," said Cid, "A Teeny Ship big enough to seat three people–four or five if some of you are a little on the small side and you don't mind being _really_ cramped for a little bit–that scans for the nearest world and warps there. A Teeny can't support both an independent power source _and_ a Warp system, so it's powered by a battery that's charged up by the main ship's reactor."

"Excellent. Give us two…wait, has it been successfully tested _off_ the field, at least?" asked Even.

"Course it has! I wouldn't a suggested it otherwise," said Cid with a grin.

"Good. Two of those, please. That's about all that I can think of, but is there anything else you would suggest, as an expert?"

"Depends on what yer doin' an' how long ya reckon it'll take," said Cid as he sat back down at his computer and opened up the Gummi Editor application.

"We're going to search the worlds for five missing individuals, and we're not sure how long it will take, but hopefully no more than a month or two at the most extreme."

"Lookin' for missin' folk, eh? Lord Ansem one of 'em?" asked Cid.

"Indeed," confirmed Even. "As his apprentices, we feel responsible for bringing him safely home."

"Well, best o' luck there…but didn't Sora say that he disappeared when a machine of his exploded?"

"His Lordship survived being banished to the Realm of Nothingness _and_ found a way back on his own. We're confident that he's out there somewhere. That he hasn't returned yet means he's either in some kind of trouble or has something more important to do. In either case, we ought to be by his side, assisting him."

"Well then, let's see what we can come up with," Cid muttered to himself, sticking his toothpick back in his mouth and donning his metaphorical thinking cap.

* * *

 _Some time later:_

Aeleus had forgone shopping for armor and accessories. He and Dilan would no doubt do most of the fighting, and their uniforms were woven with a decent level of defensive enchantments, and in any event they didn't have a whole lot of Munny to spare. There was no need to buy weapons, either. So instead, he just went straight for the Ducklings' Shop. There, one could find most anything one might need, from groceries to toiletries to camping supplies to miscellaneous recreational equipment and other sundries. It was also the only place in town where one could buy such adventuring essentials as Potions, Ethers, Elixirs, and all variations thereof. Since it was most often Aeleus who went into town for provisions, he had gotten well acquainted with the Ducklings.

"Hey there, Al!" squawked Huey as he entered the store. For some reason, they had difficulty pronouncing his name.

"How's it hangin'?" asked Dewy.

"Back already? You were just in here the other day," remarked Louie.

"My fellows and I are embarking on a mission, so we will need provisions," Aeleus explained succinctly as he handed them his list.

"Right," said Huey, ripping the list in half the short way and handing one half to Dewy. "We'll get-cha what-cha need, Al, no worries. Louie, get him the you-know-what."

"Roger!" replied the green-wearing duckling as he dove under the counter, while his red-and-blue-wearing brothers set off into the back of the store. A moment later, Louie tossed a large box onto the counter, and then hopped up after it. "This is for you and your pals, Al. It comes free of charge, courtesy of Ms. Gains…uh, Gainsburlo…no, Gainsbro…uh, Miss Aeris! Aerith, I mean."

"A gift?" asked Aeleus uncertainly.

"Yeah. A few weeks ago, she brought this package in and said that someday, one o' you fellas would come in to get a whole bunch-a stuff for a journey, an' she told us when that happened to give you this," Louie explained.

"I see. When you see Ms. Gainsborough, tell her that we are most grateful for her generosity, and that we will be happy to return the favor whenever we can," said Aeleus.

Not long after this exchange, Huey and Dewy returned to the counter pushing a dolly with a large sack on it. Louie rang up the cost, and Aeleus was just about to hand over the lion's share of he and his fellows' savings when someone spoke up, "Not so fast, laddie!" Aeleus turned around to see Scrooge McDuck clacking his way towards them, cane in one hand and a bar of sea-salt ice cream in the other. "Boys, put the big man's purchase on _my_ tab, if you'd be so kind," he commanded.

"Sir," Aeleus protested, "I couldn't possibly let you–"

"Pish-tosh! I dinna ask yer permission, now did I? The lads may run that store but it sits on my property an' I'm their great-uncle so they'll be doin' what I tell them to."

"But…why?" Aeleus asked, puzzled.

Scrooge just grinned. "I reckon you lads are finally off ta bring the real Ansem home, aint-cha? I've already put a lot of munny inta puttin' this world back to proper order. Just consider this another investment ta that end, laddie…an' you an' your mates be sure I get a proper return on that investment, ye ken?" Scrooge asked with mock-severity.

Aeleus smiled and bowed. "We will not fail you, sir." The Duck Brothers wheeled Aeleus's purchase out of the store, and Aeleus effortlessly heft the large sack and slung it over his shoulder. "And we will not soon forget what you've done for us, either."

"Ha-ha, I'm sure ya won't. Good luck on yer quest, laddie!" Scrooge shouted after him as he made his way back to the castle in high spirits.

On his way back through the boroughs, Aeleus met Even coming out of Merlin's house. "How did acquiring the Gum–"

"Interspace Transport. I'm not calling it _that_ ," said Even quickly, "And it went splendidly. Of course, the design we eventually came up with would have taken several days to build, but I convinced Mr. Highwind of the urgency of our mission so he let me ask Merlin if he would lend some magical aid to the project. Despite being fellow members of the Committee, I get the distinct impression that those two don't like to work together. In any event, it should be ready by tomorrow afternoon. A bit later than we were hoping for, but we'll be getting off to a good start at least. Also, it turns out the Committee's view of us isn't as dim as we feared. Perhaps we've been misinterpreting Leon's reason for accompanying Ms. Lockhart to the castle?"

"Well, computers are delicate instruments, and Ms. Lockhart…isn't what I would call a delicate woman," said Aeleus thoughtfully.

"We're really no good at understanding other people's hearts, aren't we?"

"Hmm."

* * *

 _Back at the castle:_

"Hmm…curious," muttered Ienzo as he stared at the computer's three-dimensional map of the Known Worlds.

" _What is?_ " asked Tron, his voice issuing from the computer's speakers.

"Well, I…Zexion, that is, was the Organization's records keeper, and among other things he catalogued the worlds where Numbers Nine through Twelve were found and recruited. Those are the worlds where we will most likely find their recompleted beings. Unfortunately, I don't have access to those records, and I don't remember them off the top of my head, but I do have a fairly good memory. I _should_ be able to recognize them if I see them. And while I've identified the worlds where we found Marluxia and Larxene with reasonable confidence, I'm still not sure about Demyx or Luxord. And none of this helps with identifying Lord Ansem's whereabouts, but that's neither here nor there."

" _Processing,_ " said Tron, which was his way of saying "Hmm." " _These lost comrades of yours; they had to lose their hearts in order to become Nobodies, and the most common way to lose one's heart is to have it taken by the Heartless, correct?_ "

"That's true. Why, what are you thinking, Tron?" asked Ienzo.

" _Well, it seems that the most likely place to find their Others, based on the information you've given me on the subject, would be the worlds that suffered the most from Heartless attacks. If you'd like, I could use an algorithm to compile a list of the known worlds organized in order from most to least severely overrun by the Heartless._ "

Ienzo grinned. "Thank you, Tron, that would be very helpful to us. But there's still the problem of how to find Lord Ansem…any advice there?"

" _Processing…sorry, Ienzo, but I lack sufficient data to make an educated guess about User Ansem's whereabouts._ "

Ienzo sighed, but he wasn't too surprised. "I figured. It's not like there's any precedent for having a heart encoding machine explode in your face. Say, what's the status on Project Drum?"

" _Calculating…processing…I've had a minimum of 17% CPU capacity dedicated to Project Drum since we started it. Unfortunately, it will not be complete for at least four more days, possibly more._ "

"I see. Say, Tron, how would you like to get out of here for a while?" asked Ienzo, "I was thinking maybe you could make a copy of yourself that we could bring along with us. A program of your caliber would be a tremendous asset to us on our…quest."

" _Processing…it would be nice to help bring the real Ansem home again. And I'm more than a little curious to meet the Others of these Organization members you've told me about. If I start now and pause all nonessential processes and applications, I should be able to compile a copy of myself within twelve hours. It would be faster if I didn't have the singing and dancing subroutines Sora patched me with…not that I'm complaining, mind you._ "

"Some music would be nice; it looks like we might wind up spending a good deal of time in Interspace."

" _Very well. I would be honored to join you Users on your quest. I'll begin copying right away,_ " said Tron.

"Very good. Let's see…Aeleus is helping Even pack up the equipment, and Dilan is writing up a daily schedule to keep us organized, so I guess I better go get started on dinner," Ienzo said to himself as he stood up. "Huh. Is it wrong that I miss having the Dusks around?"

* * *

Before turning in to bed that night, Dilan wrote an entry in his journal.

 _Tomorrow, we leave on a quest to find the recompleted Others of Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene, and if we are lucky we may even find our missing Lord Ansem. We will begin by visiting the Mysterious Tower of Master Yen Sid to ask our former comrade and newly-minted Keyblade wielder, Lea, if he will lend us his strength. I will admit, I am not completely certain we are ready for what may turn out to be a dangerous task, but we cannot falter. Organization XIII caused a lot of misery throughout the worlds, and for the part we unwittingly played in its founding we have much to answer for._

 _I have not mentioned this to the others, for I do not wish to dishearten them, but it has crossed my mind that just as Xehanort 'retained' Xigbar and Saïx, he himself may choose to seek out these missing Others for his grim purposes. If this is true, or if he happens to take an interest in them for any other reason, then we may well cross paths with him or his agents._ _I fear that such an encounter would most certainly not go in our favor, but…privately, I must admit that part of me is excited at the prospect. I owe Xehanort a great deal of suffering for what he did to me, and what he had_ _me_ _Xaldin do in his name. And if I should run into Xigbar…I fully intend to make his right eye match his left._

 _As for the others; well, I have long wondered if I could have taken Xemnas in a fight, and I am equally curious about what Xehanort's Heartless is capable of. I also owe that one a severe punishment for his inexcusable crime of leading the Heartless in terrorizing the worlds using our Lord and Master's good name. As for the 'Young Xehanort' Lea told us about, if we should run into him I doubt there's much we can do to hurt him given that he's a time traveler from the past, and destroying or seriously maiming him would cause a temporal paradox. Lea said he said something about going back to the time he came from, so it is unlikely we will see him in any case._

 _But I digress. Our immediate priority is not inflicting revenge or delivering justice, but recovering those Others who have been lost. We must set out not with the attitude of conquerors, but healers. On that note, I should get some rest. Tomorrow should be…an eventful day. Good night, Radiant Garden; I have a feeling I will not return for some time._

* * *

A/N: And so, on the morrow, our heroes stand poised to embark on their epic and daring quest, their hearts full of courage in the face of uncertainty. Shall Victory favor them with her grace and see them return home in triumph to face laurels and accolades, having earned their happy ending? Or will they run afoul of the forces of Evil and meet an ignominious fate even worse that Nobody-fication itself? Only time will tell, and I kind of wish I had a ghost-writer with the caliber of Tolkien to do the story justice, but y'all just gonna have to settle for little old me instead. Strap in chums, and join me on a Magic Carpet Ride.

Hit it, Steppenwolf!

Also, shout-out to Gexegee of Organization VI, author of _Those Lacking Spines_ (one of my top three all-time favorite Kingdom Hearts fanfictions). Her depictions of Xaldin, Vexen, and Lexaeus have _profoundly_ impacted my own perspective on them and, by extension, their Somebodies. Mostly by helping me see Xaldin/Dilan as more than just That One Boss (and also pointing out that those are braids, not dreads) and helping me get past the Dr. Hojo flashbacks Vexen gave me. Even's little spiel about Gummi ships, and particularly him calling them 'interspace-traversing vessels of the gelatinous confectionary variety' is a direct homage to her. Thanks for being awesome, Gexegee; I might never have wanted to write a fic with Dilan and Even as main characters if it weren't for you. PS, if you're reading this, PLEASE tell me what you think so far, it would mean a million worlds to me.

Wolfman Ow-out!


	3. The Keybearer

_Two hours ago, in Radiant Garden:_

"Why the _Enterprise_?" asked Dilan. He and his fellows stood outside the castle, surveying the Gummi ship Cid had just dropped off. The main body of the ship was a disc-shaped module that was separated into four quarters; the forward-facing or 'aft' quarter was the 'bridge' or cockpit, the 'port' quarter was the bathroom, the 'starboard' quarter was the kitchen, and the rear-facing or 'stern' quarter was the sleeping quarters. In the middle of the disc was an elevator–a pneumatic lift, to be precise–that gave access to the cylindrical fuselage that hung under the disc; this section housed the laboratory, a cargo hold, the launching bay for the Teeny ships, and the airlock/decompression chamber. Attached to the stern of the fuselage were two more cylinders that housed the engines.

"Because it is synonymous with endeavor, project, or venture, and seemed a fitting name for a vessel dedicated to a singular undertaking such as this," explained Even. "Also, Mr. Highwind insisted that we give it a name _before_ he started designing it so that he could, in his own words, 'make sure the ship fit the name', and I didn't feel like walking all the back to the castle to consult the rest of you, so I made a judgment call."

"I like it," remarked Ienzo.

"It certainly sounds professional," added Aeleus.

"It'll do, I suppose," Dilan admitted, "But I would have named it _Draconis Major_ , or something with flair. A good ship should have a name that inspires awe. I don't know about you lot but I don't find 'the _Enterprise_ ' particularly awe-inspiring. Oh well, let's have a look inside, shall we?"

The four Apprentices boarded the Gummi ship and stepped onto its bridge. Dilan immediately seated himself in the chair in the middle, since it was obviously the Captain's Chair. He propped his lance next to the chair and began administering orders. "Even, you're First Officer and Chief Scientist–obviously–and Aeleus, you're at the engineering console. Ienzo, you have the Com. I assume Tron can handle navigations, communications, and weapons systems?"

"Certainly," said Ienzo as he and the others took their stations. He slotted a flash drive into the computer and began uploading Tron into the ship's mainframe.

"Then give us Warp-speed for Mysterious Tower," Dilan ordered, leaning forward and propping his chin on his fist.

Beat.

"Shouldn't we load up our supplies, first?" asked Aeleus.

"…yes…and thank you for ruining the moment," groaned Dilan as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

An hour later, the _RGG Enterprise_ shot off into Interspace before blue-shifting into Warpspace, leaving a solid line of light behind.

 _Presently:_

There are many worlds, but they all share the same sky. And in that sky, each world appears to the others as nothing more than a distant twinkling star. From such a distance, each world seems miniscule and insignificant, but the overwhelming multitude of worlds is undeniable to those who know what those stars really are. Anyone else feeling a sense of déjà vu?

One such world is Twilight Town, which is unique in that it lies precisely in the middle of the Realm of In-Between, exactly halfway between the Realms of Light and Darkness. It is for this reason that the great sorcerer and retired Keyblade Master, Yen Sid, chose this world to anchor his Mysterious Tower, as it afforded him an ideal vantage point from which to observe both realms. To scry the stars and survey the worlds while keeping an eye out for encroaching darkness.

Master Yen Sid had enjoyed a long and incredible career as a Keyblade Master, one too fantastic and unbelievable to be elaborated upon here, and even in his retirement he had kept himself busy by delving deeply into the most masterful mysteries of magic. Among other great feats, he had trained a Keyblade wielder who would go on to marry a princess and become one of the most proactive and influential people in all the worlds. He also trained Mickey Mouse. Ha-ha, subversion!

Anyways, Yen Sid _had_ been enjoying his retirement until he had noticed some strange creatures that, though borne of pure Darkness, were not the Heartless and yet were running amok through the Realm of Light. Fearing for the safety of the Princesses of Heart, he had thought to warn his old friend Master Eraqus. Next thing he knew, Eraqus was dead, one of his pupils was possessed by Master Xehanort who had gone full-on Sith Lord, another pupil was MIA in the Realm of Darkness, and the third pupil was locked in seemingly-endless sleep in a room somewhere in Castle Oblivion that only the second apprentice could possibly find. In short, everything was completely FUBAR, to use the military vernacular.

That had been almost twelve years ago, and while Yen Sid had certainly felt bad about the situation, he was sure his former apprentice, Keyblade Master King Mickey Mouse of Disney Castle, would be able to handle things. Besides, in his day Yen Sid had already saved the worlds a gazillion times; now it was his turn to rest and take it easy, though he was resigned to the fact that he would probably be interrupted many times by young adventurers seeking wise counsel and probably also magical items to aid them on their own quests in the years to come. Such was the fate of a retired hero.

Then, several months ago, Mickey had guided a young new Keybearer, Sora, to his tower, and Yen Sid had done his duty. He'd dropped some serious knowledge on the boy, had some fairies magick him up some fancy enchanted duds to help him along, and pointed him down the path. But then, during Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam, which Mickey had convinced him to administer, Yen Sid had received a rude wake-up call when he realized just how serious Xehanort was about the whole Sith Lord thing. He realized that if the worlds were going to stand a chance, he'd have to skirt a little closer to coming out of retirement. This was how Yen Sid found himself training two new Keyblade wielders while Mickey was catching up on things back home and Sora and Master Riku were doing their part to prepare for the Next Big Adventure.

Lea and Kairi faced each other on the grounds outside the tower; both were breathing heavily, their clothes were scuffed up, and they both sported more than a couple of bruises. They had been sparring under Yen Sid's watchful eye for the last hour, and they were both 'feeling the burn' as it were. "You're…getting…better…Squirt," Lea wheezed, trying to ignore the sting from a lucky shot to his ribs. It was true, too. Kairi had been his sparring partner for six weeks now, and the first time he had beaten her easily. But she had grown by leaps and bounds, and now most of their matches ended in a draw; sometimes she even won, though he insisted it was just the law of averages at work.

It helped that, although she only had a teeny-tiny bit more experience with the Keyblade than he did, she didn't have to completely unlearn and reinvent her fighting style. Lea had been using his chakrams for ten years, so adapting to his new Keyblade was slowing his learning curve. Even so, he was still stronger and faster than Kairi, and he had more endurance, reach, and combat experience than she did as well. He had quickly discovered that she was incredibly crafty and had guts to spare, and her natural talent and raw tenacity were nothing to sneer at, either. He also remembered that, as Axel, he had given her what you might call a bit of a hard time, so on top of wanting to catch up to her friends she likely had that motivating her as well. She certainly seemed to enjoy hitting him more than someone with a 'pure' heart should, he thought.

"You're…not half…bad yourself…Urchin," she admitted, her shortness of breath caused by relative lack of stamina rather than taking a bad hit. "Next one decides it?" she suggested. Lea nodded. The two trainees took another second to compose themselves, and then readied their Keyblades for the final exchange. Without warning, Lea blurred forward, hoping to quickly knock Kairi down with a wild lightning-fast swing. He moved so fast his vision tunneled…

And he realized he'd goofed when Kairi smirked and slid to the side, into his blind spot. He tried to skid to a halt and go defensive but it was too late. He felt the crack of Destiny's Embrace falling on his shoulder and bit back a howl of pain as he sank to his knees. "Game, set, and match, Mr. _Axel_ ," said Kairi with all the good cheer of a cat who'd just caught her mouse. Then, because she was such a nice girl, Kairi cast Cure on him…or she meant to, anyways. Since beginning her magical training, Yen Sid and the Three Good Fairies had discovered that Kairi had an unfortunate tendency to get her spells mixed up. So while she said, "Cure!" she actually wound up casting Aero, creating a mini-whirlwind that shot Lea into the air. He landed in a heap in a nearby blueberry bush, and Kairi ran over with a genuinely horrified expression. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry, Axel!" she moaned, grabbing his arm and helping him to his feet.

"That's Lea," corrected Lea for what felt like the billionth time. He brushed leaves and twigs off of his arms, but found that he was just smearing blueberry stains all over his hands and clothes. "Great. Now I could use a Potion _and_ a bath."

"Sorry," said Kairi, looking like she almost wanted to cry.

"Stop it!" Lea begged, shielding his eyes with his hands, "I can't stand watching Cute Things turn into Sad Things! If you're _really_ sorry, then smile; that'll make me feel a lot better." He opened his fingers to expose a single green eye, which he made spin around in circles, and then he stuck his tongue out at her and blew a raspberry. Kairi giggled involuntarily. Lea lowered his hands and smiled, "There, much better. Now, maybe you should spend less time getting revenge on me for my five-second career as a kidnapper and more time practicing your spellcraft? On the other hand, maybe you've got something here. Maybe, if you whoop me badly enough while misfiring magic all over the place when we face off with Xehanort, he'll laugh so hard that everyone else can rush him while his guard is down." Kairi started laughing harder. "Yeah, this could work," Lea continued, "After you hit me in the stomach so hard I throw up, you could try casting Blizzard but hit me with Zero-Gravity instead, make me float upside down so my coat falls down and Xehanort gets an eyeful of my Moogle-print boxers. Heck, I betcha Isa would even start laughing." Kairi fell to her knees, clutching her sides. Lea started chuckling, but was quickly reminded of his bruised ribs. "Hey, Squirt, think you could get me that Potion, pretty please?"

Kairi tried to get her breathing back under control and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Yeah, sure thing Axel," she said, dismissing her Keyblade and running back to the tower.

"That's Lea!" he shouted after her. Sighing, he gently lowered himself to sit in the grass and, since they were there and he was kind of hungry, he started snacking on blueberries. He felt the wind pick up and heard a roar overhead, and looked up to see a Gummi Ship coming in for a landing. "Well…this ought to be interesting," he said with an excited grin.

* * *

 _Ten minutes later, in Yen Sid's study:_

"Kay…so, since I'm the only one here who knows everyone, I guess introductions are on me?" Lea asked rhetorically. Yen Sid had magicked away his desk and replaced it with a large round table to accommodate his guests. To the esteemed sorcerer's right sat Flora, Fauna, Merriweather, and Kairi. To his right sat Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Ienzo. Lea sat across from him. "Okay, so…here goes," he took a deep breath, and then started talking very quickly, pointing as needed, "Dilan, Yen Sid; Yen Sid, Dilan. Flora, Dilan; Dilan, Flora. Dilan, Fauna; Fauna, Dilan. Merriweather, Dilan; Dilan, Merriweather. Dilan, Kairi; Kairi–"

"I think we all know who Dilan is by now," Merriweather interrupted.

"Well _sorry_ , I've never had to introduce a bunch of people before," Lea snapped, "Now, let me try again. Ahem." He swept his hand to his left, "The old dude's Yen Sid, the blue fairy is Merriweather–but not, you know, _the_ Blue Fairy–the pink fairy is Fauna, the green fairy is Flora, and the redhead is Kairi." Next he swept his hand to his right, "The guy with the braids is Dilan, the one with the cheekbones is Even, the one with the bristly hair is Aeleus, and the one with the bangs is Ienzo." He lowered his arms and said, "There. Does everybody know everybody now?" Kairi raised her hand. Lea groaned and palmed his face. "Yes, Kairi?"

"Well…okay, so we know their names now, but who _are_ they?" she asked.

"Oh. Right. Heh," said Lea awkwardly, "Well…they're my friends from Hollow…sorry, I mean Radiant Garden."

"What he's too embarrassed to say is that we're his former colleagues from the now-defunct Organization XIII," added Dilan. He didn't fault Kairi for leaping up to her feet and summoning her Keyblade, nor did his fellows.

"Kairi, be still," ordered Yen Sid. "They are Nobodies no more; they are the Others of Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion, just as Sora is the Other of Roxas and you yourself are the Other of Naminé. They are not our enemies."

"Oh. Sorry," she said, dismissing her weapon and bowing her head apologetically. She'd never met any of those Nobodies, but she had heard of them from Sora and Riku. But really, it was just the mention of the Organization that had put her on edge. She returned to her seat and, just to be polite, asked them, "So, what brings you guys here? Just visiting Lea?" Just then, some of Yen Sid's broomstick-minions marched in and served everyone barley tea. Dilan refrained from wrinkling his nose–he much preferred ginseng–but drank it to be polite.

"Well, actually, we were going to ask him if he wanted to help us with something," said Ienzo.

"Oh yeah?" asked Lea, leaning back in his seat, "Like what?"

"Well, you remember Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene, right?" Even asked rhetorically. They weren't exactly forgettable characters. Well, Luxord might be forgettable to some, but not if you've ever been on the receiving end of losing a bet to him.

"Yeah, what about…you're going to look for _their_ Others, too, aren't you?" Lea asked.

"Indeed," confirmed Aeleus, "We have decided to find them and assess their conditions, and offer them whatever help we can with acclimating to their recompleted selves."

"It is a valid concern," remarked Dilan, "Seeing as _some_ people apparently react to recompletion by staring at a wall for a month or two." Even shot him a withering glare, but Dilan just chuckled and elbowed him. Even shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess you've got a…oh…oh, damn," muttered Lea, seeming suddenly preoccupied with thought.

"What is it?" asked Ienzo,

"I just realized. Marluxia and Larxene. Oh, man, they are _not_ going to be happy about this."

"Why not?" asked Dilan.

"Because…wait, didn't any of you know? No, I guess not. Well, the whole reason behind their little attempt at a coup was because they didn't _want_ their hearts back. Figured they were better off _un_ -feeling."

"How do you know that? Did they really share something so personal with you during your brief stint as their cohort?" asked Even.

"Heh, _no_. But remember, Isa…" Lea stopped and frowned, "that is, _Saïx_ and I, we were planning a coup of our own, and we did a lot of snooping and spying and eavesdropping on the rest of you. And, you know, when I was Axel I had some pretty sneaky underlings," said Lea with a smirk.

"So, you've decided to seek out the recompleted forms of your former allies," Yen Sid summarized, "And you've thought to seek out a Keybearer to aid you?"

"Yes," said Dilan, "Lea is the logical choice, all things considered."

"Well, shucks guys, I'm glad you thought of me but…I'm still in training, you know?" said Lea.

"You've made tremendous progress in the short time you've been training," said Yen Sid, "And you're not the kind who can flourish in cloisters; some time in the field might actually benefit you at this stage."

"You really think so?" asked Lea. He gave it some thought, and then grinned wildly. "Alright then! You guys can count me in; time to see what I can actually do with this bad boy," he said as he summoned his Keyblade.

"Hold up! Can I go with them, too, Master Yen Sid?" asked Kairi, jumping out of her seat again. She'd been training here for over a month now, and aside from brief excursions to Twilight Town she hadn't gone anywhere. She was getting stir-crazy.

To her disappointment, Yen Sid shook his head. "As a Princess of Heart, we must keep you safe until the time of the fated clash between the seven lights and thirteen darknesses. If you leave, Xehanort is certain to find out, and he will send his minions to apprehend you. In fact, having you in their company may in fact put these travelers in peril."

Kairi sat back down and gave a long dejected sigh, and then nodded, "Understood, sir."

"Hey, chin up, Squirt," said Lea as he stood up. "I'll bring you a souvenir from every world I visit, okay?"

Kairi smiled half-heartedly, but gave him a firm nod of approval. "Okay. You're alright, Axel."

"That's Lea!" whined Lea, laughing.

"Sorry, did you say something?" asked Kairi with a cheeky grin.

"Okay, that's it. Now, I'm not going to miss you at all," Lea said with a huff. Then he smiled and ruffled Kairi's hair, getting an indignant squawk out of her. "Well, let's get out of here then. I don't wanna stick around and watch Kairi break down in big old baby tears."

Kairi glared at him and folded her arms. "You'd better get a _lot_ stronger while you're gone, or I'm really going to thrash you when you get back."

Lea bowed respectfully to Yen Sid, who inclined his head in kind, and thanked him again for his help and guidance. Then he started to lead the Apprentices towards the door. "I'll be looking forward to it, Squirt," he called back, raising a peace sign without looking back. Not for the first time, Kairi wondered why she had to be surrounded by friends who were cooler than her. It was giving her a complex.

* * *

It took Lea less than five minutes to grab what he needed out of his room, and then he met the others out on the grounds where the Gummi Ship was parked. As he stepped aboard, he found his eyes magnetically drawn to where Even sat, jotting something down in his notepad. He just as quickly averted his eyes, deciding that now wasn't the right time. As he crossed the passenger hold to set down his rucksack, Dilan frowned at him from his captain's chair. "Lea, do you _have_ to wear that coat? It's been months; surely you've procured other garments by now?"

"Would it sound crazy if I said I felt the need to have something to remind me of where I've been?" asked Lea. Dilan raised an eyebrow, so Lea resigned himself to elaborating. "When I look back on the last ten years…I don't know, it all feels like it was a really weird dream…nightmare, whatever. It doesn't completely feel real to me, is what I mean. Wearing the Coat keeps it real; makes it so I can't pretend it didn't happen." He grinned, and added, "On a practical note, it makes it safe-ish for me to use the corridors of darkness if I have to make a hasty getaway."

"You can still use the corridors of darkness?" asked Even, looking up from his notepad. "Have you retained your pyrokinesis as well?"

Lea stared at him for a moment. "Uh, yeah…still got these, too," he added, summoning his chakrams.

"Fascinating," said Even, "Do you also possess the same level of power that you did as a Nobody?"

"Pretty much…well, actually, I've gotten stronger since I became a Keyblade wielder, but that goes without saying."

"And you also awoke wearing the Coat," remarked Dilan, "Whereas the rest of us woke up in our old clothes and lost most of our powers."

"I have a hypothesis about that," spoke up Ienzo, who had been hunched over the navigation console and giving Tron calculations to run.

"Of course you do," muttered Lea with an eye-roll.

"Which would be?" asked Even.

"Well, Sora found out that Xemnas had lied to us all; if we hadn't been under the impression that Kingdom Hearts was the only path to regaining our hearts, we would have gradually 'regrown' them anyways. As Axel deviated from the Organization's dogma and developed a strong personal bond with Roxas, I believe that he may have begun developing a heart. This meant that prior to his death, Axel was much closer to becoming a Somebody than any of us had gotten. It should also be noted that while the rest of our Nobodies were destroyed by others, Axel sacrificed himself. One or both of these differences may have been a factor in allowing Lea to retain his abilities."

"Or maybe I'm just that _awesome_ ," said Lea, "Ever think about that?"

"It could also be a mental issue," remarked Aeleus, who had just gotten out of the bathroom. "The four of us are all fairly rational in our thoughts; we all believed that it was becoming Nobodies that gave us our powers, and logically we believed that being recompleted would strip us of these powers. Lea, on the other hand, was never a very profound thinker. I wouldn't be surprised if he retained his powers by simply never considering that he could have lost them. Basically, it was an achievement through ignorance."

"I'm not sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment," said Lea.

"Where are we going to first, Ienzo?" asked Dilan. He had powered up the ship and they were now lifting steadily into the air.

"Well, so far I've only positively identified two worlds; the ones where Marluxia and Larxene were recruited. The question is, which–"

" _Marluxia,_ " said Dilan, Aeleus, and Lea simultaneously.

"…well, Enchanted Dominion it is then," said Ienzo, punching the coordinates into the nav-console, "Mr. Tron, take us to Warp."

And once more, the _RGG Enterprise_ Warped away.

* * *

A/N: Boom! Shout-out to all my Trekkie homies. Live long and prosper, space-dawgs. (If anyone wants to send me fanart of Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo, and Lea in Starfleet uniforms with their Gummi Enterprise, that'd be sick. Doubly so if it comes in wallpaper-size.)

Shoutout to this story's reviewers: erikfinnvladimir, tuckeyhunger99, sailorsenshi13, and two Guests. Thank you for you encouragement, peeps.

In spite of the whole 'kidnapping' thing, to say nothing of the fact that he was willing to kill Naminé to get Marluxia, I still like to think there's hope that a friendship could blossom between Lea and Kairi. After all, Axel's willingness to kill Naminé was before Roxas and Xion reawakened his feels, and I'm sure Kairi would forgive him for the kidnapping thing after he saved everyone from Xehanort in 3D. She just doesn't strike me as the grudge-holding type. You know, pure heart and all that. Besides, even though he can't remember Xion (Yet. KH III, don't let me down!) I like to think that something of her survives in the depths of his heart, as seems to be the case with Sora, and that Kairi might awaken that part of him. I'm not saying she's a replacement, just that maybe she can touch the part of Lea's heart that still remembers Xion. That's my wishful thinking, anyways. And in case it wasn't obvious, this story does share continuity with my Lea/Kairi oneshot, _Rebuilding A Burned Bridge_.

My decision to put Marluxia in Enchanted Dominion is based entirely on the one-shot Marluxia/Maleficent fic, _Thorns_. Look it up, check it out, it won't rock your world or change your life but it's still pretty good. Those who have or are going to read it, though, don't think I'm adopting it as canon. I have a slightly different idea about Marly's backstory, though Maleficent still plays an important role. Also, I'm having a hard time deciding what I want Marly's true name to be. I know, I know, I should have figured it out before I started writing, I'm horrible, believe me, I know. But don't worry, I figured that being the controlling schlemiel he is, Xemnas probably personally recruited all the younger members of the Organization and renamed them before introducing them to the others, just like he did with Roxas, so I'm going to assume that he and Marluxia are the only ones who know his true name, and I came up with a reason for him not to give away his name at first. Which gives me time to poll you, the audience, for suggestions!

My favorite candidates so far are: Lumaria, Arimula, Marulia, and Aluriam. You can vote for one of these, or suggest your own favorite. If one screams out to me, I'll take it. Failing that, I'll take whatever gets the most votes. C'mon guys, contribute to the story! It'll be fun, and you might even get cake!

Feedback, people! It's an author's bread and butter. Thank you for reading, double thank you in advance to anyone who reviews and helps me with my conundrum, and triple thank you to the Internet for letting me share.

So, with this chapter out of the way the story's all set up. Next chapter, we finally get the Plot Train chooga-chooging. (Make sure Selphie doesn't get too close, kay-thanx-bye.)

Author Out.


	4. The Search

_Twenty years ago, Enchanted Dominion; a small farming village in the countryside:_

Medieval peasants, it must be said, lead mostly uneventful and mundane lives. Sure, there's always festivals and what-not, but all in all their existences are pretty routine and day-to-day unless Someone Interesting passes through. Like a knight-errant on a quest or in search of a quest, or something in that vein. Basically, it's not every day that something _truly_ unforgettable occurs in a peasant village. The passing-through of a stranger dressed all in dark red, wearing a hood to conceal his face and riding a black horse that, while not armored and unadorned in any obvious way, is nevertheless not going to be mistaken for a common horse by someone who's worked with plough-horses all their lives.

The stranger never offered his name, and curtly turned down anyone who offered him a night of hospitality; the village wasn't big enough or popular enough to justify having an inn, and sunset was nearing. He only asked everyone the same question: "What do you know of the Evil Fairy's castle?" Most of the villagers could only give him the direction, a rough guess as to the distance, and a few generations-old rumors about the place.

That is, until one maiden pointed him in the direction of an old wise-woman who lived as a hermit several leagues away in the forest, whom it was said knew more than anyone about the Forbidden Mountain. The maiden saw the corner of his mouth curl upwards, and he dropped a few solid gold coins in her hand and, curiously enough, offered her a single red rose as a parting gift. The maiden, now several-times-over the wealthiest resident of the village, blushed and accepted his gift. Now, it's no secret that despite their beauty, roses are not always very nice-smelling, but as the maiden watched the Red-Hooded Rider gallop away to the south, towards the wise-woman's woods, she lifted the rose to sniff it.

It was the loveliest thing she had ever smelled, or ever would smell, in her entire life, and though it had no roots and she only kept it in a vase of water, it stayed just as vibrant as ever and shed nary a single petal in the twenty years that followed.

* * *

 _Present day, Enchanted Dominion; aboard the_ RGG Enterprise _:_

"You _can't_ be serious!" Lea seethed, two seconds away from not-at-all-metaphorically spitting fire.

"I am _dead_ serious, Lea," Dilan replied adamantly, "And I can give you a laundry list of good reasons why."

"Name one!" Lea demanded.

"Someone might recognize it! We–the Organization, that is, _did_ operate here on occasion."

"Name one more!" the redhead obstinately challenged.

"Enough!" Dilan shouted, both figuratively _and_ literally putting his foot down, hard. "I am the leader here, and I say that you will not wear that blasted coat off of this ship. For pity's sake, man, it's not as if you're stark naked under that thing."

Beat.

"Right?" asked Dilan, who suddenly seemed unsure.

"Of course I'm not _naked_ under this coat," said Lea, "I just…you know there's a good reason I don't like to take it off around other people."

"Then we can get a new coat for you at the first garment shop we come to," promised Dilan, "Besides, it can't be that bad can it?"

Groaning and rolling his eyes, Lea unzipped his coat and pulled it off. "Oh my goodness!" gasped Ienzo, slapping his hands over his eyes.

"See what I mean?" asked Lea drolly. Under the coat he wore a plain sleeveless black shirt and black jeans, but under that…he looked absolutely _skeletal_.

"That is _not_ normal," Aeleus remarked in a very concerned, slightly grossed-out tone.

"How is he _functional_?!" Ienzo demanded to know, still not daring to look.

"You _sure_ you want people seeing me like _this_?" asked Lea, gesturing at his emaciated appearance.

"Fine!" Dilan snapped, "Wear the damn coat for now, but we're finding something to replace it as soon as we possibly can."

"Yessir, Cap'n Dreadlocks," said Lea with a salute as he quickly put his coat back on.

"They're braids!" Dilan seethed as he stormed off of the ship, "Now come on, we have to make tracks."

"If you fellows don't mind," spoke up Ienzo, "I'd rather stay on the ship. Tron's been detecting a discrepancy in the ship's weight since we left Radiant Garden, but none of the ship's internal sensors have located the cause. I'd like to search the ship manually–"

"Yes, fine," said Dilan, "Since you're staying, be a good lad and make sure dinner is ready when we return. We should be back by seven-o'-clock sharp." He glanced at Lea and added, "And make extra. I want to make sure _he_ eats well."

"Hey, this is just the way my body works, okay? There's nothing wrong with it," said Lea defensively.

They had landed in a clearing in the woods, just a few hundred meters from the main road. Dilan, Even, Aeleus, and Lea set out for the road, and when they reached it Dilan consulted his pocket computer. "Alright…Aeleus, you and I will head towards the castle, present ourselves to the king and queen and ask them if they know anything. Even, Lea, you two head the other way and ask anyone you pass."

"Why the castle? What makes you think the king and queen know anything?" asked Aeleus.

"Didn't you ever think Marluxia had an air of the upper-class about him? I always figured he was some high-born fellow; nobility, maybe, possibly even royalty. If any nobles mysteriously vanished around five years ago, that might give us a lead as to where Marluxia became a Nobody, and where he would have returned upon being recompleted," Dilan reasoned.

"Seeing as we have no other leads, we may as well give it a shot," agreed Even. "Come along, Lea," he said brusquely, turning sharply enough that his lab coat flapped as he set off down the road. Lea ran after him, and Dilan and Aeleus set out up the other way.

* * *

 _Twenty years ago, Enchanted Dominion; the Forbidden Mountain:_

"Stay here, Prunella," he ordered his horse, a beautiful black mare with a splash of yellow on her forehead, as he tied her to a tree. "I'll be back soon, girl; just as soon as I find her," he said as he stroked her muzzle. The animal could sense the darkness of this place, and it was making her skittish, so her rider did his best to sooth her before he had to go. He was a willow of a boy, tall for his age but slim enough to have a scarecrow's bones. He wore boots, trousers, and a double-breasted jacket with a hood, all of it made of leather as red as blood. With his hood up and hiding his face in shadow, he grabbed a bundle from Prunella's saddlebags and set out up the mountain path.

 _Sometime later:_

Reaching the castle had been easy. Finding a way in had taken some time, but once that was done he moved about unseen without effort. He had always been good at sneaking, if only because he didn't care to be noticed. Now, at this critical time, his years of introversion came in handy. It wasn't that he was worried about the guards; those he could deal with as easily as he flew from shadow to shadow. He just preferred not to give his adversary advanced notice of his presence.

Without a map he couldn't be exactly certain of his position in the castle, but his spatial comprehension was well above average and he was very sure that he was nearing the heart of the Evil Fairy's domain. He had not been wandering for too long before he saw a certain horn-headed shadow on the wall and heard a chillingly familiar voice. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but it didn't matter to him. She was there, within his reach at last. All he had to do was focus and _strike_. He crouched and carefully unwrapped his bundle, revealing two three-foot-long shafts and a crescent-shaped blade. He screwed the shafts together, affixed the scythe-blade to one end, and began creeping forward.

He peeked into the room, and saw her. Her back was turned to him, and she was chanting words that were nothing but gibberish to him. Green fire illuminated the room, but he took no notice of the extraneous details surrounding them. All that mattered was the woman before him and the scythe in his hands. He crept a bit closer, and when he was confident that he was close enough he rushed forward and struck.

* * *

 _Present day:_

Dilan and Aeleus strode up to the castle gates, and as protocol dictated they were halted by the guards, who asked what their business was. Dilan opened his mouth to speak, and was abruptly struck by the realization that he had _no pretense whatsoever_ for calling upon the king and queen. Fortunately Aeleus was there to prove, once again, that one need not necessarily be a motormouth to be a fast talker. "We are here to see Her Majesty, Queen Aurora. If you tell her that Sora sent us, she will tell you to let us in," he said confidently. So confidently, in fact, that despite not being entirely convinced the senior of the guards called up to one of the guards up on the castle wall to pass the message along. Only a few minutes later, the wall guard hurried back and shouted down that the strangers had the queen's permission to enter.

"Well done, old chum," Dilan complimented his friend as they proceeded through the gate. Aeleus accepted the praise with a dignified smile. Four guards escorted them into the throne room, and Dilan immediately recognized that the king was absent. Queen Aurora sat on her throne next to King Phillip's presently-unoccupied one, and she stood to greet them with a dazzling smile.

"Welcome, Outworlders. Any friends of the Keybearer will always be honored guests in this hall. Is there anything I can do for you?" Aurora asked.

' _One strategically placed namedrop certainly goes a long way,'_ Dilan noted. He and Aeleus bowed lowly from the waist, and he said, "Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Dilan and this is my friend, Aeleus; we have come from the world of Radiant Garden seeking a misplaced colleague of ours. We know he came from this world, originally. He has vivid pink hair and may be well-renowned as a skilled scythe-wielder. We think he might have been some manner of noble, though we really don't know much about his past. He likely vanished mysteriously about five years or more ago. I know that you probably have a hundred more pressing concerns right now, but if you could tell us anything at all it would be a great help." Dilan concluded his request by bowing again.

Aurora looked thoughtful. "Hmmm. To tell you the truth…I'm not very familiar with all the nobles of this world. I was raised in the woods as a peasant girl for most of my life, and since returning to my birthright I've been more concerned with helping my husband manage the kingdom. Still…I don't know about scythe-wielders, but I've heard it said that the royal family of Rozera is famed for having pink hair. My husband, Phillip, should be back from his ride soon, he could probably tell you more. You're welcome to stay until then. Are you hungry? I can have the cook fix you something."

"You are most gracious, Your Majesty, thank you. It _was_ a long walk in," replied Aeleus. Dilan had been on the verge of politely declining, but once again Aeleus proved to somewhat-ironically be the faster talker.

"Excellent, I'll go to the kitchen right now; please, wait in the courtyard for now," said Aurora as she stepped down from the raised tier on which sat the thrones.

* * *

 _Elsewhere:_

After hours of walking and two villages under their belts, Even had elected to stop and rest under a shady tree. Lea, who was really suffering the heat under his coat, was more than happy with the respite. As he lay out in the shade and panted away the heat, Lea's mind gyrated back to a focal point. _'Just say it, damn you,'_ he scolded himself, _'Just say "Even, man, I'm_ really _sorry about burning Vexen to a crisp. I had my reasons, but it was still an unnecessarily dickish thing to do. Now that I can feel junk again, I feel really horrible about it, and I hope that someday, preferably someday soon, we can be not-as-awkward around each other. We cool?" Just say it, and get it over with. If he catches you staring at him too many times he's gonna get the wrong idea and think you're horning on him or something.'_

That was what Lea told himself, and for a moment his resolve was ironclad. Then he made the mistake of looking at Even before speaking, and all he could hear was Vexen's anguished death-cries over the crackle of flame. He quickly averted his eyes, hoping that Even had not noticed his stricken expression. After a while, Even got up and he and Lea resumed walking. After they spied another village on the horizon, they heard a chirping noise and Even produced his pocket-computer. "A message from Aeleus," the Professor reported, "Apparently Marluxia may have been a member of the royalty in some distant country called Rozera. Something for us to inquire about."

Once they entered the village, they split up and began asking everyone they could find if they knew anything about a man with bright pink hair or the royal family of Rozera. The first to get any luck was Even when he struck up a conversation with a well-traveled peddler.

"The royal family of Rozera, you say? Well, it is true that the _old_ royal House of Floris was renowned for their pink hair, but that line was extinguished some eleven years ago. Now the House of Kelley rules that land, and let me tell you it took them eight years of warring with the other noble in those parts for them to claim the throne, and Rozera is still recovering from that war," the older man informed Even.

"Eleven years ago?" Even asked. When the peddler nodded a confirmation, Even asked, "And how would one get to Rozera from here?"

The peddler pointed east. "Follow the road that way for about two days, and it'll join up to a bigger road that runs through most of the major cities in the realm; folks call it the High Way. It skirts around the Forbidden Mountain and eventually crosses the River Delbue, and if you follow the river north from that crossing for…oh, about four days on foot, you'll find yourself in Babale, the nearest Rozeran city to here. If you want to get to Rozera as in the _capital_ of Rozera, you just take the north-eastern road out of Babale and follow that straight; you'll get there in about six or seven days on foot. The whole trip on foot from here sits around a month and a half or two even. Take you about three weeks on horseback. Careful though, if you should go that way. There's some who say the wilds in Rozera have been haunted ever since the Floris clan was wiped out. Wood spirits and such, or so they say."

"I see. Thank you," Even said with a bow.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, Lea was interrogating the local blacksmith about whether they had ever heard about any legendary scythe-wielders. The blacksmith, a bushy-haired woman to Lea's mild surprise, scratched her sooty cheek and looked pensive. "Well, there was a fella who passed through here 'bout…oh, twenty years ago I'd have to say, back when Pa was the village smithy. Said he needed a new blade for his scythe; said the old 'un broke while he was fendin' off brigands. Don' know 'bout legendary, but he's the only scythe-fighter I've ever heard of. Not countin' the occasional drunk farmhand, that is."

"Did he have bright pink hair?" Lea asked excitedly. This was the third village he and Even had passed through today, and this was the first he'd heard that sounded like a solid lead.

The blacksmith shrugged. "He kept his face hidden under a hood the whole time. Had a whole get-up of blood-red leather. Rode a big black mare; Pa heard the name, can't remember what it was but it sounded pretty. Started with a 'p'. Wanna say 'Princess' or 'Prudence' but I'm not sure."

"Hmm. Know which way he went?" Lea asked. It wasn't as solid a lead as he would like, but it was better than running around blindly.

"Took the road west to the next village. If you head that way, pay a visit to Mrs. Collins. She's always got room to put up a traveler or two, an' she's the best cook for hundreds o' leagues around," she advised.

"Thanks," said Lea as he ducked out of the blacksmith's shop and set out to look for Even.

* * *

 _Twenty years ago:_

Hellish green flames. Bright light, smothering darkness. A splitting headache, made worse by the unbearable maniacal cackling that filled his ears. The youth forced himself to stand up from where he had fallen after bouncing off of a wall. Smoke wisped up from where the fireball had struck him in his chest. He used his scythe to steady himself. "That all?" he ground out through pain-clenched teeth. "Don't laugh like this is already over, you hag!"

That silenced the Evil Fairy. She narrowed her eyes and spoke coolly, "I refrained from vaporizing you thinking that you might offer me some amusement. But if you're just going to be sore and ill-mannered about this, I suppose I have no use for you." She hold up a hand and summoned another fireball, and he could feel the concentrated evil energy rolling off of it. No doubt, if this one connected there wouldn't be enough of him left to taunt her, let alone retaliate. "Before I destroy you, you uncouth boy, I demand you tell me why you would intrude upon my domain?"

"I've come to kill a hag and save a princess," the youth replied, trying to keep his voice steady and, if at all possible, respectably deep.

Maleficent did not seem impressed at all. "A little young to be slaying evil sorceresses and saving fair damsels, aren't we?" she asked in a saccharine tone.

' _Have to keep her talking,'_ he thought. "Why don't you save the mockery for later? Do as you wish to my body but leave my pride alone," said the youth. He lifted up his scythe and assumed a ready stance. "Say, you're a knowledgeable old hag, aren't you? I'll bet you I can show you something you've never seen a human do before."

"Oh? And what, pray tell, would that be?"

"Ah-ah," said the youth, wagging a finger, "That would be telling. But if I _do_ show you something you've never seen a human do, will you answer one question before you kill me?" _'Almost there…'_

"Hmm…very well. What would you like to know, little boy?" asked Maleficent.

"Princess Hanna…where is she?" asked the youth. He narrowed his eyes at the sorceress, "Now hit me with your best shot, hag!"

"Tch," was all Maleficent had to say before she flung her fireball at him. He threw his hand up, and massive thorny stems exploded through the ground to form a barrier between them. The fireball slammed into the wall of briar-thorns and burned through them, but too slowly. The youth appeared atop the wall, and with a gesture several thorn-stems burst out of the wall and snaked through the air towards Maleficent.

With a dismissive wave of her hand, Maleficent made the entire growth burst into emerald-green flames; the youth quickly jumped off and alighted on the floor. He ran at her with a howl on his lips, swinging his scythe through her. She melted into smoke and reappeared several feet away. She pointed her scepter at him, and an invisible force slammed into him, smashing him into the wall and pinning him there.

"Not bad, boy," Maleficent scoffed, "But that's nothing new to me. I have known of humans with Fey blood in their veins before. Though it's been quite an age since I saw one who had developed his abilities as well as you seem to have. Suddenly it almost seems a shame to kill you… _almost_."

"Alright, fine. I'm clearly outclassed," the young man admitted, "Look, all I really care about is the princess. If there's anything at all that I can do…any price I can pay…." The youth dropped his scythe and gave Maleficent a truly withering glare. "…then name it."

Maleficent cocked her head and stared quizzically at him. Then the corners of her mouth curled up in a sinister grin.

* * *

 _Present day:_

"Rozera, huh?" asked King Phillip. At his beloved wife's request, he agreed to meet with these two strangers in his study. He was now perusing his shelves in search of a certain book. "I know I put it…somewhere…right around…here!" he finally exclaimed as he spotted the right tome and plucked it from the shelf. He cracked it open and leafed through the pages until…

"Ah, here we are. Yes, Rozera is a kingdom a few hundred leagues east of here on the other side of the Delbue, one of the wider rivers in the realm. It was founded about five-hundred years ago by the House of Floris," Phillip read aloud, "Eleven years ago, King Rudolpho IV was assassinated, which triggered a civil war that ended eight years ago with the House of Kelley taking power. The kingdom has been in a sorry state ever since…and yes, the old Florises were well-known for their bright pink hair. Said to be a sign of the unique heritage that gave them the power to establish their kingdom."

"Your Majesty, if I may?" asked Dilan, holding out his hand. Phillip gave a courteous nod and handed him the book.

"What do you mean by their 'unique heritage'?" asked Aeleus.

"Well…" Phillip began, but then the three men all felt an ominous rumbling through their feet. Then they heard shrieks and crashes and other sounds of violence in the distance.

Phillip was already running towards the door when a servant threw it open and stumbled in. "You Majesty, there are Heartless in the castle!"

Even as the harried man said this, pools of darkness appeared on the floor, and the aforementioned abominations arose from them. Shadows and Soldiers, mostly, but a handful of Armored Knights as well.

"Ah, bugger," groaned Dilan.

"Quite," agreed Aeleus.

* * *

 _Elsewhere:_

" _Ienzo, I think we might have a problem,_ " said Tron's voice over a loudspeaker. Ienzo was poking his head into a vent, looking for any clue as to why the ship was fifty kilos too heavy.

"And what might that be?" he asked, pulling himself out, standing up straight, and dusting himself off.

" _The ship's sensors show a pack of hostile creatures approaching our position._ "

Ienzo froze. "…what kind of creatures, Tron?" he asked warily.

" _Nobodies._ "

* * *

A/N: Cliffhanger! And at two for the price of one! Suck it, muwahahahahahahahahaha!

Thanks to my reviewers: erikfinnvladimir, tuckeyhunger99, sailorsenshi13, Luna Lillyth, and Guests.


	5. The Skirmishes

_Eighteen years ago:_

It was day, but the sky was so laden with fat, black clouds that it was as dim as twilight. There was no rain, but thunder rumbled ominously as a man on horseback tore down the forest road like the Devil was on his heel. His clothes were made of silk and richly decorated with ruffles, frills, jewels, and all other manner of frippery. Their beauty was marred only by several wide slash marks through them, some of which also wept crimson from shallow cuts.

The horse was a steely-gray thoroughbred that had lived a well-kept life, but was now raggedy from galloping its heart out. Yellow froth flecked from the corners of its mouth, but every time it slowed to catch its breath its rider began viciously digging his spurs into its sides and smacking its flanks with a riding crop that looked like it would break any second.

The man was just starting to calm down, to think that maybe he had _finally_ outran his persistent pursuer, but then his heart just about stopped cold when his horse carried him straight into that haunting scent…the scent of cherry blossoms mixed with blood. He pulled hard on the reigns, and his horse was so eager to stop that it almost threw him by accident.

Lightning flashed from somewhere very near, so that the thunder was already shaking autumn leaves loose from the trees as the flash illuminated a cloaked figure that stood on the road directly in front of the terrified merchant. He was a specter clad in blood-red leather, a hood obscuring his face, armed with a wickedly gleaming scythe in his hands.

The merchant began desperately tugging on his reigns, urging his horse to turn around and take off back the way they had come, but the horse nickered and shook its head weakly. The animal could feel its heartbeat slowing to well below normal, and with a shuddering breath its knees finally buckled. The horse collapsed onto its side, and slipped into a sleep from which it would never awaken. The merchant, possessed of the strength that comes to us only when the Reaper stares us in the face and we refuse to go quietly, managed to pull his leg out from under the dying horse and get out of the stirrups.

He took off running, his rational mind well aware that he couldn't possibly hope to escape but still driven on by his primal desire to survive. He'd gone five feet when he suddenly lost all feeling below his knees and fell into the dusty dirt road. His legs were numb, a feeling that was quickly spreading throughout his body, and against his better judgment he looked over his shoulder. He nearly fainted when he saw that both his legs had been severed at the knee, his calves/shins/ankles/feet lying a few feet behind him. The scythe-wielder now stood over him, his blade clean because he had swung _so_ quickly that not only had his victim never felt the bite of the blade, but it had not caught a single drop of blood either.

The merchant screamed, his eyes burned with tears as he began sobbing hysterically. He turned away from the haunting figure and began crawling away, pulling himself through the dirt with his hands and elbows. Some part of him knew that the assassin could walk away right now, and he would still die from blood loss before he made it ten yards, but _still_ he clung doggedly to his life.

"Your persistence is admirable," the scythe-wielder admitted in a soft voice, "Your stubborn will to live…almost fascinating." He stepped forward, moving ahead of his mark with only a few easy strides, and turned to look down upon him with his scythe resting on his shoulder. "Still, you offended the Dark Fairy, and as much as I envy anyone who manages to become a thorn in her side, it is regrettably my duty to visit ruin upon her enemies. You know, it was Maleficent's explicit command that I terrify you out of your mind _before_ finishing you, so whatever it is that you did most have truly pissed her off. For _that_ , at least, you deserve some measure of my respect. Bravo, sir." He swung his weapon down, and cleanly severed the merchant's head from his shoulders. His decapitated body spasmed and gushed blood for a moment before finally becoming completely still.

The assassin pulled a leather pouch from within his coat, stooped, and collected the head. He then stepped over to the horse. A white rose poked up out of the dirt and rapidly grew and bloomed, and he plucked it up without breaking his stride. When he stood over the dying animal, he lazily waved his rose over it, and as he did it shed all of its petals. Each rose petal, upon landing on the horse, glowed and melted into its hide. The white light spread until it enveloped the animal completely.

The assassin laid down his scythe and knelt down to remove the horse's bridle, and as he did so he spoke, "You gave your life up in vain for a selfish human master, and by the magic in my Fey blood I have given it back. May you never serve a selfish human ever again, and as a parting gift I bless you with the name of the lotus flower, which blossoms from murky swamp water yet gives off a pleasing scent. Good fortune and Godspeed, my friend." The assassin took up his scythe again, and without another word set off down the road.

An hour later, Lotus–now sporting a glimmering white coat and a glistening bright-pink mane and tail–opened his eyes and surged up to his feet with renewed vitality. His senses heightened and his mind sharpened, he looked around his surrounding with incomprehension. His eyes fell upon his former master's dismembered corpse, cooling in the dust, and he felt a strange pang in his heart that was mixed with an unpleasant sense of cold satisfaction. Shaking his head to throw off these confusing thoughts, he bolted away into the forest, uncertain what to do next.

And all the years that followed, no matter how hard or fast or far he ran, Lotus never exhausted himself again.

* * *

 _Present:_

"I need a spear!" cried Dilan as he Aero'd a Soldier across the room.

"An axe would not be unwelcome," commented Aeleus as he intercepted a pouncing Shadow with a snap kick before hammer-fisting it into the ground.

Phillip dismissed three Shadows with a single swing of his enchanted sword. "We'll have to make for the armory then," he said. A Soldier charged towards him and leaped into a spinning kick, and as he didn't have his shield with him the king was forced to dive out of the way.

"AERORA!" roared Dilan, conjuring a mighty wind and then focusing it into a high-pressure drill that bored clear through the armored Heartless. As it was spinning around, it wound up being sliced to ribbons of darkness that dissipated even as they fell to the floor.

"Where?!" cried out Phillip.

"No, he said 'Aerora', not 'Aurora'," explained Aeleus.

"Oh, right…but still, where is she?" Phillip wondered aloud, "Can you two get to the armory on your own? I need to find my wife and get a grip on the situation throughout the castle."

"Understood. Don't worry your Majesty, we will manage," Dilan assured him. "But if you could spare directions…?"

"Ah, of course. It's two floors up from here, on the north side. It'll be the room that guards are rushing in and out of," his Majesty explained. Without any further ado, the king ran out of the room.

Dilan and Aeleus ran out after him, and took off in the opposite direction in search of the nearest stairwell. As they ran, Dilan said, "We can smack these monsters around to our hearts' content, but they won't stay down. We need to get Lea over here; only Keyblades can truly destroy the Heartless."

"True," Aeleus agreed.

"Moreover, the presence of Heartless means that both her Majesty the Queen and this world's Keyhole are in danger," Dilan added.

"Naturally," Aeleus agreed.

"But the Heartless are also drawn to the Keyblade…so Lea is probably drowning in Shadows already," Dilan guessed.

"Most probably," Aeleus agreed.

"Do you have _anything_ to contribute?" Dilan snapped.

"You have no reason to be worried for Lea's safety. Recall that as Axel, he had the third highest number of successful combat missions, lagging only behind Marluxia and Xigbar."

"He also had the second-highest number of _failed_ missions, and I'm not worried about him," Dilan corrected. They reached the stairs and rapidly ascended, smacking aside Soldiers and Wizards alike with blasts of wind and Aeleus's fists.

"You needn't worry about Even either," Aeleus spoke up as the emerged on the upper floor, "He might not be a fighter by inclination, but he's no slouch when he gets backed into a corner."

"Not worried about him, either–"

"If you're worried about how well they'll work together–"

"Aeleus, I am not worried!" Dilan insisted, "You and I, Lea and Even…we've all faced worse than this."

The halls became crowded with castle guards running for the armory and then running back out to seek and destroy (or rather, momentarily disperse) the Heartless. Dilan and Aeleus reached the armory and muscled their way in through the dense crunch of jostling bodies. Fortunately, Aeleus had a talent for pushing through crowds. "Oi!" cried Dilan, hailing the bellowing, portly fellow who appeared to be the resident Quartermaster. Summoning a gust, Dilan swept aside the clamoring guards in his way. "Look, I know you're all eager to be armed, but my companion and I have years of experience dealing with these bothersome beasts. We require armaments, on the double!"

"You're as tactful as ever," Aeleus muttered so that only Dilan could hear him.

"I can't say I care for your tone, young man," growled the Quartermaster, a burly potbellied fellow with a thick, well-groomed beard. "But this day's taken a harrowing turn so I'll let it go. You say you two are experts?"

"We have more experience with the Heartless than you lot, that much is certain," said Dilan.

"Hmm. Fair enough. Weapons of choice?" asked the Quartermaster.

"Spear for me, axe for him," Dilan replied, jerking a thumb at Aeleus.

The Quartermaster winced. "Sorry lad, but the good spears and axes've already been taken. All I've got left is an old well-worn boar-hunting spear and a hand axe for chopping wood…" he gestured at a distant dusty corner of the room.

Dilan felt the side of his face twitch, and Aeleus headed off an impending outburst of gripe by stepping up and saying, "That will do fine, sir. Thank you." He grabbed the poor-quality 'weapons', handed the spear to Dilan, and guided his friend out of the room hoping that the thrill of combat would distract him from his rising ire. Or at least provide a constructive outlet. As they set out in search of Heartless to dispatch, Aeleus asked, "Remember those old roleplaying games we played as boys, Dilan? This reminds me of that; starting out our campaign with shoddy equipment. Heh, we've even had our stats reduced since being recompleted–"

"Don't be ridiculous," said Dilan, pointedly avoiding looking at his spear's depressingly chipped head or its wooden shaft, warped by age and the stress of repeatedly being thrust into a headlong-charging wild boar. "This isn't a game."

(And you know, technically, he's not wrong…)

"True," acknowledged Aeleus, "But you realize, don't you, that there _is_ a boss-fight awaiting us at the end of this 'stage' as it were."

"Pardon?"

"The Heartless are being directed by someone. This is too sudden and strong an assault to be a random surge of darkness, and its occurrence coinciding with our arrival here couldn't possibly be an actual coincidence. The Heartless were called here by someone. Now, whom do _we_ know who have the capacity to direct the Heartless _and_ a motive to attack this particular world?"

"Maleficent," growled Dilan.

"Indubitably," agreed Aeleus.

* * *

 _Elsewhere:_

"Yo! Are you Mrs. Collins?" Lea called out to a middle-aged, but much more youthful-looking, woman who was pulling weeds out of a strawberry patch next to her house. Assisting her was her daughter, a teenaged girl whose hair was covered by a bandana tied around her head.

"Aye, I'm Harriet Collins," replied the woman, standing up and smacking the dirt off of her hands. "Pru, go in and fetch a drink for them, will ya dear?"

"Yes Mama," assented the girl before running inside.

"So who're you and what can I do for ya?" asked Mrs. Collins.

"I am Even," said Even, "And this is my colleague, Lea. We're searching for someone we were told came this way some years ago, and as the day is growing long we will require lodging for the night, and you were recommended to us."

"Well you're welcome to stay for the night if you lend a hand with tonight's chores, provided you don't mind sharing a bed or one of you can do with camping on the floor," replied Mrs. Collins as Pru came running back out with two mugs full of water.

"I call bids on the floor," Lea said immediately. "Seeing as Even's just gonna play the 'respect your elders' card to get the bed anyways," he added with a cheeky grin. He accepted his water from Pru with a word of thanks and commented, "Pru…that's a neat name, kid. Is it short for something?"

"Prunella," said Pru proudly.

Even almost choked on his water. "Ahem, Prunella…like the flower?"

"Yeah! Mama named me after a _mysterious stranger's horse_ ," said Pru in conspiratorial tones. Clearly, this was a story that she greatly enjoyed telling to new people.

"Mysterious stranger, eh?" asked Lea, exchanging a significant glance with Even, who nodded. "Now, this is just a guess, but did he wander this way…oh, I don't know…twenty-ish years ago? Did he have pink hair, a scythe, and an insufferable–hey, what's up with your kid?" asked Lea, switching rails mid-sentence and pointing at Pru, whom at the mention of 'pink hair' had gasped and tugged down at the edges of the bandana covering her head.

"Lea…" murmured Even, gesturing at Mrs. Collins. Lea looked up, and beheld a stunned expression on the woman's face.

Lea opened his mouth to say "Whatever I said wrong, I'm sorry," but Mrs. Collins held up a hand to cut him off.

"Come inside," she said gruffly, grabbing Pru by the hand and taking her inside. Within was a typical peasant's living quarters, with a fireplace and a cooking pot, a small wooden table that could seat four, two doors behind which presumably lay the mother's and daughter's bedrooms, a wooden-framed cot for a lodger, and a few odds and ends. One thing that stood out was a ceramic vase on the mantle, holding a single red rose in full bloom. As soon as they saw it, Lea and Even felt a sense of familiarity. Though beautiful it appeared to be an ordinary rose, but Marluxia's presence hung about it unmistakably.

"He did come through here," Even said decisively.

"Aye. Came and went, and I never saw hide or hair of him since," said Mrs. Collins. "He gave me that rose as a reward for telling him how to find someone who could tell him about the Evil Fairy what lives up on the Forbidden Mountain."

"Maleficent…well, can't say I'm surprised that they'd be connected," remarked Lea. Then his eyes widened, "Wait, you've had that thing for twenty years, just chilling in a vase of water?"

"Clearly Marluxia had a supernatural affinity for flora even before becoming a…one of us," said Even, "Not surprising. Does it have other magical properties, besides its longevity?" he asked as he took a closer look at the rose. He noted that there were a few petals missing.

"Aye. Pru was born weak and sickly," said Mrs. Collins in a heavy tone, "It didn't seem likely she'd live long enough to see her christening. I took her to the wise woman, the same I had directed the Red Rider to, along with his rose as it was the only thing of value I had to offer as a gift for her help. She told me to keep the rose, as ill fortune befell those who gave away the gifts of the Fey, and advised me to clip some of its petals, crush them into a paste with my own milk," here Lea looked grossed out and Even raised an eyebrow, "and feed it to her. And she's been the healthiest of children ever since. I never knew the Rider's name, so as the next best way of honoring him I gave my daughter his horse's name…helps that I'd always thought it a pretty one, anyhow," said Mrs. Collins with a faint blush, "And ever since then…Pru, show them. Go on, it's alright."

Pru seemed reluctant, but she obediently undid her bandana and pulled it down. Her brown hair was shot through with streaks of vibrant pink.

"Well, if there was any doubt, that kills it," said Lea. "Which way's this wise woman live?"

"She passed away years ago, "said Mrs. Collins sadly, "But if the Rider sought to confront the Evil Fairy then I doubt he is still alive, either. Otherwise there wouldn't have been that nasty business with the Princess twelve years ago."

"You guys friends of his?" asked Pru.

"Uh…friends would be stretching it," said Lea honestly. "We knew him. Used to work with him. Trying to find him out of some weird sense of comradely obligation, kind of–"

Lea's awkward sort-of-explanation was cut off by a shriek of terror from outside, quickly followed by others, as well as crashing, smashing, and other assorted sounds of violence underscored by some distinctly inhuman-sounding noises. With a flash of flame the Keyblade was in Lea's hand, and without taking a moment to acknowledge the Collins' gasps of surprise he ran back outside. Even moved to follow but Lea barked, "Stay with them, Even, I'll handle this."

And away he dashed.

* * *

 _Back at the_ Enterprise:

Creepers, Dusks, and to Ienzo's bewilderment a handful of Assassins and a few Nobodies he didn't recognize were all rushing towards the ship. With little other recourse that he could think of, he got outside and stood atop the ship's hull, and began casting.

"THUNDER!" he cried out, arms spread out in front of him. "FIRE! BLIZZARD! AERO! GRAVITY!" Elemental energies in various forms rained down on the encroaching threat to commendable effect, but just casting those few spells exhausted Ienzo's shrunken reserve of magical power and left him feeling winded. And more than half of the mob was still coming strong, their lack of feelings leaving them undaunted by the sudden and violent demise of several of their fellows. Ienzo felt fear–stark terror, really–tearing at his heart for the first time in many years, but he refused to go down panicking and began furiously working through any possible solutions in his head. In the end, only one viable option occurred to him. "Tron! Get us the heck out of here!" he ordered as he dropped back down to the side and hurried back inside the ship.

The ship lifted and took off through the air, quickly moving in the direction of the castle Dilan and Aeleus had set out for that morning. Ienzo stumbled into the bridge and dropped into the nearest seat. He almost immediately tumbled back out and scrambled for cover when an Assassin tore through the door and spilled into the room, followed by two more of its kind. " _Warning! Intruders on the bridge!_ " Tron cried out superfluously.

Calling upon the power of sheer desperation, Ienzo threw up his hands and screamed, "Flare!" Multicolored bursts of light sprang from his hands and bombarded the lead Assassin, knocking it back into the other two. Unfortunately, it destroyed none of them and left Ienzo too exhausted to stand. He crumpled on the spot, resigned to the fact of his imminent demise…but it didn't come. He heard sounds of battle from nearby and weakly lifted his head to catch a glimpse, blurred though it was by his eyelids refusing to open all the way, of a figure in black garb fending off the Assassins. He struggled to get to his feet, but he passed out instead…

* * *

 _Aaaaaaaaaand back at the castle:_

"Bugger all!" raged Dilan when his spear snapped in half as he attempted to impale a downed Air Soldier. Acting on his and Aeleus's advice, King Phillip had ordered everyone to evacuate the castle. Predictably, the Heartless had followed their quarries, and the castle guard had succeeded in surrounding them in the courtyard. "Remind me why we left our weapons on the ship?!" he demanded of Aeleus. Unlike Phillip and his guard, who had formed a perimeter around the mob of Heartless and were pressing in on them, the two apprentices of Ansem the Wise had gotten dragged into the middle of the horde (which Dilan considered depressingly consistent with their luck) and were fighting them back-to-back.

"You thought it would be too rude to call on a king and queen both armed _and_ without an appointment," Aeleus reminded him dryly.

"Aeleus, old friend, if I _ever_ so much as suggest stepping off of the ship without _proper_ weapons in our hands in the future, no matter what my reasoning, do me a kindness and box some sense into me!" Dilan ordered, using a flurry of punches, kicks, and elbow strikes to fend of the Heartless that were mobbing his side.

"Duly noted…can I get that in writing?" his monolithically-framed friend asked as he sent a whole line of Armored Knights flying back with a single backswing of his hand-axe.

"Yes, let's do make jokes now!" Dilan snarled. "AEROGA!" he howled, creating a focused gale that punched a hole through the swarm of Heartless. Glancing over his shoulder, Aeleus saw his comrade's handiwork and without hesitation scooped Dilan up even as he nearly collapsed on the spot, and he ran for the relative safety of the guard's perimeter.

"Flora! Fauna! Merriweather!" called out a single voice, cutting through the din of battle. King Phillip snapped his head towards the sound, and saw with horror that his wife had returned to the danger zone. Before he could shout for her to get clear before the Heartless mobbed her, there was a flash of light above her. The Queen's oldest and dearest friends, the Three Good Fairies, appeared.

"Oh my!" gasped Flora in shock.

"Oh, dear me!" joined in Fauna.

"Merciful heavens, this will never do!" said Merriweather sternly. "Let's clean up this mess, shall we girls?"

"Oh, oh! Can we try those magic words Mr. Merlin's friend uses?" asked Flora.

"Sure, why not?" said Fauna gamely.

"Altogether now!" ordered Merriweather.

" _Bibbity! Bobbity! BOO!_ " intoned the trio as they brandished their wands.

A fireworks display of red, green, and blue fairy-lights exploded amongst the Heartless, replacing them with frogs, rabbits, doves, flower bouquets, various pieces of iconic Renaissance-era statuary and, for whatever reason, a bewildered-looking woman lying down in a box on wheeled legs with her head and feet sticking out.

"Hmmm…I'm not sure we did that exactly right," remarked Fauna.

"Oh well, at least we got those nasty Heartless out of here," said Flora.

"Indeed you did," said King Phillip, sheathing his sword and stepping forward to greet them. "You've saved us again, Good Fairies, and I can't thank you enough."

"Pish-tosh, it was nothing, dear," said Merriweather with no small measure of satisfaction.

While this was going on, Aeleus and Dilan, the former supporting the latter, limped away to a secluded area. "Right. First we need better weapons, then we should head for the Forbidden Mountain at once," Dilan decided immediately. "We should probably grab Lea, and then–"

"Dilan," said Aeleus in a well-practiced but seldom-implemented 'shut up and listen to me' tone of voice. "The _first_ thing we need to do is rest. This is the most we've exerted ourselves for some time, and you can't even stand up on your own."

"I can stand just–oof!" cried Dilan as he pushed himself off of Aeleus and promptly fell on his own face. "This doesn't prove anything, I just lost my balance is all," he growled.

"Be that as it may," said Aeleus, not bothering to hide the amusement in his voice, "It's already late in the day. After our assistance I'm sure Their Majesties won't mind putting us up for the night, and in the morning…what is that?" he asked as a howling wind kicked up. Aeleus and Dilan, and Phillip, Aurora, all their guards, and the Three Good Fairies all looked up to see a Gummi ship of unusual and distinguished design flying in and stopping to hover directly above them. The archers among the understandably skittish guard nocked their arrows and aimed at the ship, but Aurora hastily ordered them all to stand down.

"I know Their Majesties already know of other worlds," remarked Dilan, "But still, letting a bunch of locals get an eyeful of an inter-worldly vessel like this, it feels like it's breaking some kind of important rule."

"An important rule?" Aeleus echoed.

"Aye…a very important rule…remember when Xemnas told the Organization that the most important rule for field missions was not to be seen by the natives?" Dilan asked. Aeleus nodded. "Remember what he called it?"

"The Prime Directive," replied Aeleus, smiling at the memory of their former Superior's over-the-top cheesiness.

"Well, let's see what was so bloody urgent that Ienzo couldn't just call our mini-coms," said Dilan wearily, forcing himself up in defiance of his achy knees.

* * *

 _And back at the village:_

Lea had been ready for anything, or so he thought. He had been prepared to face a mob of Heartless, and while a pack of Nobodies was unlikely it wouldn't have surprised him too much. If it had been a Xehanort, or even _the_ Xehanort, he would not have been shocked. Even though he knew it was highly unlikely that he would just happen to show up here, and while he was self-aware enough to know that seeing him again _would_ make him freeze up again, if only for an instant, Lea had already come to terms with the possibility that it was Isa, perhaps sent to 'deal with him' so that Xehanort had one less errant Keybearer to worry about.

But then, perhaps it was just a wandering band of marauders or barbarians, or possibly an invading troop from another kingdom on this world? Lea was certain he could handle anything that might be assaulting the village, and was confident he would be no stranger to whatever breed of monster it was. After all, he had seen and fought all kinds of strange and unlikely things in the last eleven years.

He was wrong, it happened, because one thing he _hadn't_ expected to be confronted by was a horde of, for want of a better word…trees.

Yes, trees. Distinctly wooden and decidedly not-in-any-way-shape-or-form carved by Man, they were definitely inexplicably (but most likely magic was involved) ambulating trees, though very short one. The tallest among them couldn't be more than five feet tall, and they had somewhat anthropic shapes; two arm-like branches that each terminated with three long claw-like woody digits, and a torso that split into two trunks not unlike legs, with a bushy topping of leaves over their 'heads' resembling hair, in function if not in form. They also featured deep recesses ringed by very sharp wooden 'fangs', clearly intended to serve as mouths, and Lea was guessing that the burning green lights were their eyes. Green, not yellow, and they didn't have an Emblem of any kind that he could see, so he was confident they weren't some hitherto unrecorded breed of Heartless. Whatever they were they were _not_ friendly, given that they were chasing villagers, harassing other animals, and tearing up everything manmade they could get their branches on, all the while howling some weird, woody-sounding, guttural battle-cry.

It took an instant for Lea, long accustomed to the chaos and confusion inherent to combat, to take in the scene, process his instinctive hesitation at encountering the unknown, and resolve himself to carry forward without a shred of trepidation. In fact, Lea broke out a wild grin, for this was going to be an easy fight despite the fact that there were easily a few dozen of them. They had numbers…but he had the elemental advantage, as it were.

"Fira!" he cried, conjuring a fireball and lobbing it at a cluster of tree-creatures as he charged the nearest loner, slashing it in half with his Keyblade as he ran past it. The fireball exploded and the tree-creatures were quickly consumed by flames. For trees they were quick on the uptake; all over the village they stopped what they were doing and turned as one, rushing Lea and screaming what he assumed were supposed to be oaths of vengeance for their fallen compatriots. "Come and get it!" Lea challenged eagerly, "Y'all as good as kindling, so come and get the charcoal treatment!"

With fire spells and Keyblade, Lea lashed out at every wood-man that came within his range, like a deranged woodchipper with flamethrower attachments. After several minutes passed, it occurred to Lea that he had already destroyed at least twice as many of them as he had originally observed, and he realized that they were still streaming in from the woods surrounding the hamlet.

' _Crap,'_ he thought when he went to cast another Fire and it fizzled out; he was tapped dry. He switched to a two-handed grip on his weapon and shifted gears, going from rapid strikes to wide, arcing swings to cleave as many targets with each movement. But it wasn't enough; Lea had power in spades, enough to end most fights pretty quickly, but he was lacking in stamina. As a Nobody that drew his power from Nothingness, his energy had been inexhaustible; it was just a question of how much magic his body could handle at once, as he had learned the hard way in Betwixt-and-Between. Now that he was a mortal man once more, he had come to the sobering realization that he hadn't done much to improve his physical constitution over the years. Most of his missions he had completed by relying on speed and overwhelming firepower…pardon the pun. As a human, he tired much quicker than he remembered, something Yen Sid had tried to address with his training. He'd made marginal returns; he could outlast Kairi more often than not, but she was a relatively inexperienced combatant. On both occasions that he had convinced Riku to spar with him, he had been utterly _trounced_ swiftly and decisively. But that's a story for another time, so I must digress.

First, a few tree-creatures started getting in lucky hits wherever he was open, then as his swings became slower and his footing less sure the 'lucky hits' get more frequent and more painful; shallow grazes gave way to deeper slashes and, once or twice, an agonizing puncture that he was certain had left splinters in the wound. Soon, rather than the tree-creatures landing lucky hits it was Lea who was making lucky blocks. He went from the offensive to the defensive for the first time (in real combat, that is) in longer than he cared to remember. Having never exhausted his magical energy before, as he hadn't known any magic before becoming a Nobody and since being recompleted had only used magic in practice situations, Lea wondered what would happen to him if he tried to force out one more spell, something Yen Sid had warned him and Kairi to never even attempt.

Before Lea could do something stupid and reckless (again) a freezing cold wind blew through and flash-freezed a bunch of the tree-creatures. Knowing an opening when he saw one, Lea immediately began attacking the frozen foes, shattering them with his Keyblade much more easily than he could cleave through one normally. He finally found himself in an open space, though the frantic tree-creatures were scrambling to surround him. He also found the unlikely cause for his salvation; Even, who was emitting the arctic wind from his bare hands and contrarily had a sheen of sweat on his face. When Lea reached his side, Even dropped his hands and doubled over, panting. "I…seem to recall…that being…a lot easier…damn…" he wheezed.

"C'mon, man!" said Lea, grabbing his arm and pulling him along. "If we stand still we'll…too late, crap," he muttered when the monsters surrounded them. They had their back to someone's house, facing a semi-circle of wood-monsters several ranks deep. "Don't suppose you brought a weapon?" he asked of his older companion.

"Just the closest thing to a shield Mrs. Collins had," said Even, reaching in his lab coat and producing…a large cooking pot lid.

Lea facepalmed. "Dude…well, at least you'll score a memorable epitaph. 'Here lies Even, he died with cookery in hand and splinters in his eyes'."

The snarling, gnashing wood-demons began to rush forth, Lea and Even raised their weapons defiantly, and then–

To Be Continued…

* * *

A/N: Because I'm a sadistic creep, that's why :)


	6. The Princess

_Twenty-four years ago, Enchanted Dominion; the kingdom of Rozera:_

A boy, ten years old though he was tall enough to pass for a teenager, crouched down in the reeds by the side of a lake. A full moon hung in the air overhead, shining down brilliantly on the water. But he wasn't watching the water; he was watching the footpath that wound down the rolling hills from the direction in which the castle lay. After half an hour or so had passed his patience was rewarded. A gentle, lilting song began to drift into his ears on the early autumn night breeze. Before long, the singer came into view; a girl in an expensive-looking nightgown, with hair that shimmered a vibrant shade of pink. She looked maybe two or three years older than him. She sang softly as she came down to the lakeside, and there she sat and stared up at the moon. Once in a while, maybe once or twice a month, around this time of night she would come down and do this. She never went for a swim, only sat and looked up at the night sky. And _every night_ , seeing as he had no way of knowing when the fancy would strike her, the boy came down to wait and hope to catch a glimpse of her. Much more often than not, he was disappointed by her absence…but the occasions that he saw her made it worth it.

Young though he was, he was also very smart, he knew. His caretaker, Corbin, had taught him how to read. And though he had been told it was wrong, he felt no shame in stealing books from the nearby town and reading them in his down time. His favorites were romance-adventures, and despite only being ten he had a basic grasp of what he should feel if he were in love with a girl, and he knew he didn't have such feelings for this girl. Even if he did, there was no conceivable way for anything to happen between them, nor would he desire such a thing if it were possible. No, something else drew him to her. Something even more primal than romance. The fact of the matter was, no matter how insane it sounded even to him, these moments when he was as close to her as he could reasonably expect to be–or rather, considering how very illegal this was, much closer than _reasonable_ –were the only times he felt–

 _SNAP!_

He froze. In the process of shifting his feet to keep them from going numb, he had broken a fallen reed. The girl instantly shot up to her feet and stared in his direction. "Who's there?" she hissed, sounding like she was trying not to sound frightened, but failing. He was torn between two instincts; one that compelled him to slip away before she could catch a glimpse of him, and the other that urged him to reveal himself and assure her that she was in no danger. Knowing that the latter could get him killed, at the very least, and that even in the best case scenario he would likely be banished from the castle, he stomped down hard on that impulse. He tried to slowly, stealthily shuffle backwards…and one of his feet immediately sank into a soft patch of dirt, causing him to stumble flat on his back. He couldn't help the loud 'oof!' that escaped him.

The girl screamed and started running back to the path, and the sound sent his brain into overdrive. If she ran screaming in fear back to the castle, the guard would come down to investigate; ever since the disappearance of his sister, the king was quite paranoid about his daughter's safety. He wouldn't take any chances. The guards would bring the dogs with them, and the boy knew he wouldn't be able to shake their sniffers. They _would_ find him, and he would definitely be executed, even if he only posed an imagined threat to the princess's life. As risky as it was, his best hope was to heed his earlier impulse.

With that resolution in mind, he jumped to his feet and bolted after her. He was quite fast and overtook her effortlessly in mere seconds. He whirled around in front of her and held up his hands. "Stop! It's okay, Your Highness, I mean you no harm!"

Naturally, the princess ignored him and tried to run around him. Acting on impulse, even though he knew how unthinkable it was for a commoner such as he to lay hands on royalty, he reached out and grabbed her arm. At his touch, both of them were frozen in place by a sudden, almost electrical sensation that passed between them. The turned to face each other, the princess's wide, fearful green eyes boring into his confounded blues. After a moment of unbearably tense silence, she asked, "Who are you?"

"I…" the boy began, stopped by the sudden dryness in his mouth. He swallowed, hard, and tried again, "I'm no one important, Your Highness. Merely one of the castle farmhands, nothing more."

The princess raised an eyebrow. "You speak well, for a farmboy," she remarked suspiciously.

The boy stared down, somewhat embarrassed. "My caretaker insisted on teaching me proper elocution," he murmured.

"What's your name, farmboy?" asked the princess.

"I'll tell you, if you promise not to tell anyone about this. I truly meant you no harm, Your Highness."

The princess gawked at him, then frowned, "I am the princess, and I _command_ you to reveal your name!"

Releasing the princess's arm, he stood up and walked away. "No deal, Your Highness."

As he headed into the shadows of the copse of willows that he had come through to reach the lake, he heard her gasp in surprise. "I'll tell my father about you!"

He stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. "And how will you do that without _also_ revealing that you've been sneaking out of the castle at night for some time?"

As he continued on his way, he could tell by the princess's silence that he had won. He had just defied a royal, argued with a royal, and _won_. While he knew he could never come down here to watch the princess again, and that thought did sadden him, at the same time he suddenly felt as though he were capable of _anything_. Then his sense of realism chimed in and reminded him that he had only succeeded in defying a royal teenager because she couldn't rat him out without ratting herself out, and he had the cleverness to recognize this and the presence of mind to exploit it. Still, he knew now that royalty was as susceptible to leverage as the rest of the human race, and that thought comforted him.

Maybe someday he could work up the nerve to make his uncle tell him of his mother's fate?

 _Present day:_

–the girl named Prunella dropped in front of them, a plain staff of oak wood in her hands, and cried out, "Stop!"

To Lea and Even's mutual astonishment, the monsters obeyed the command, though their shuffling about and hesitant expressions suggested they were more confused than compliant. One gnashed its woody teeth and tried to advance. Pru immediately jabbed her staff at him and said more forcefully, "Get back!" Sparks of pink light shot out of her hair, and the tree-monster yelped like an injured dog before stumbling backwards. Pru took a deep breath and said sternly, "You are all going to leave us alone and go back to your woods. Go, now!"

The tree-creatures were visibly displeased, but they mostly turned and reluctantly shuffled away towards the forest beyond the village. A few resisted, glaring the three humans down gnashing their teeth and flexing their claws in a threatening manner. Pru took a decisive step forward and slammed her staffing into the ground, screaming, "NOW!" The pink in her hair glowed brightly for a few seconds, and as if of one mind the wood-monsters broke and ran as if a woodchipper were chasing them. Pru stood firm until the last of the erstwhile invaders were out of sight, and then she slumped against her staff and let out an exhausted sigh.

"Okay…the hell were those and the hell did you just do, kid?" asked Lea.

"My hypothesis is that absorbing the essence of Marluxia's rose also imparted some of his chlorokinetic abilities to her," said Even.

"Say what?"

"She received Marluxia's plant powers through that rose," Even rephrased.

"Ah."

"Am I right?" Even asked Pru.

Pru took another moment to catch her breath, and then she straightened and turned to face the visitors and nodded. "Since I was little, I've had a way with plants," she affirmed, "The wise woman must have suspected how the rose would affect me, because from my fifth birthday on she made a habit of visiting us and teaching me everything she knew about the Fey. As for those creatures, they were Treants. Forest-guards."

"Okay, now hold on. Just what _is_ the Fey that we keep hearing about, and what does it have to do with Marluxia?" asked Lea.

Pru looked thoughtful, and at length she replied, "The Fey, also called the Fair-folk or just Fairies, are the spirits of nature, the children of Oberon and Tatiana. You've got the Good Fairies who bless humans and live alongside them, and then you have Evil Fairies like Maleficent who despise humanity and use the darker powers of nature against them. Then there's the Wild Fairies, the True Fey, who still follow the old ways and live in the sacred places. To them, humans are just another, if unusual, kind of animal that they have to keep an eye on from time to time. Fey Law prohibits the Wild Ones from taking direct action against any species of animal, so they use their magic to create Treants to protect their sacred places. Usually, a Treant will never leave its home and seek out humans, much less do so in huge mobs, but the last year or so they've been doing it a lot. Thanks to the wise woman, I can use what little Fey magic is in my blood to turn them away, but it's getting harder. That green fire in their eyes is a sign of Dark Fey magic corrupting them, but the only Evil Fairy we know of is Maleficent, and she hasn't been seen in these lands since Princess Aurora disappeared eight years ago."

"That was when Mal and her allies were collecting the Princesses," Lea recalled. "She relocated to Hollow Bastion as her base of operations, until Sora destroyed her, and after she came back her and that fat dummy of hers decided to take over The Castle That Never Was. Last I saw of them, they were at Disney Castle trying to get some journal from the Mouse King. Heh, she gave up real quick once I showed up," he bragged.

" _You've_ faced Maleficent?!" asked Pru, looking amazed.

"Ha! I know she seems all big and bad and scary to you guys, but let's just say that in the 'bigger world' she's not that big a deal," said Lea smugly. Even coughed into his fist and gave Lea a warning look. Lea just rolled his eyes. Then a thought occurred to him. "Hey, you said these things are being corrupted by Darkness or something like that, right? Well I'm training to be one of the Guardians of Light, so this sounds like a problem I ought to solve for you. If these Treants come from sacred fairy places, where's the nearest one? Maleficent's mountain?"

Pru, still looking a little awed, shook her head. "The Forbidden Mountain was Maleficent's domain for many years, but it was never a sacred place of the Fey. The closest such place is Elmira's Spring. The wise woman took me there a couple times, but I haven't been that far from home since she passed away. I have no idea what state it's in now."

"Alright, sounds as good a place to start as any. How do we get there?" asked Lea.

"Lea, we're already chasing down a trail that went cold years ago, yes? We can't afford to get sidetracked on a side-quest!" protested Even.

"It's not a side-quest for you guys, it's a side-quest for _me_. Official fighting-the-Darkness stuff, like old man Yen Sid taught me. Besides, we've got as much as we'll get following this trail; Marluxia sought out a wise woman for advise on confronting Maleficent, which he probably did, which is probably how he got Nobodied. You should probably regroup with the others and compare notes, and if they don't have anything better we can investigate Mal's old digs for clues. Meanwhile, I'll check out this fairy spring and see what I can do to take care of this evil Treant problem. Don't worry, if it looks like it'll take too long, I'll send a message to Yen Sid to send Riku or somebody to take care of it. Fair enough?"

Even sighed. "Very well. You have good points, yes. We'll split up in the morning."

"Hold up!" said Pru, "I…you can't just go to the Spring! You need Fey magic to get in–"

"Can you guide me?" Lea asked immediately, cutting her off.

"What? No! I can't just leave the village to–"

"Oh, yes you can, Prunella Collins." This time it was Mrs. Collins, stepping into view from around the corner, who interrupted her. "I've known for months that you would have to go to the Spring to figure out this problem eventually; you're the only one who can. And if we take a capable fighter with us, so much the better."

" _Us?_ " Lea and Pru questioned simultaneously.

"Well, yes, of course 'us'. I'm not very well allowing my fourteen-year-old daughter to go traveling with a man all alone," said Mrs. Collins with a suggestive smirk. Pru blushed furiously while Lea had a fit of whooping laughter. Even chuckled a bit too. "So if that's all settled, let's us go have some dinner and prepare for tomorrow, and then a good night's rest. Hoping of course that those twisted Treants keep away for the rest of the night."

 _The castle:_

"So there are Nobodies on this world, then," said Dilan grimly. The three apprentices were assembled in one of the castle's guest room, the one granted to Ienzo who was lying in bed, still recovering from severe magic-fatigue. Dilan stood leaning against a wall facing Ienzo as he had recounted the attack on the gummi ship, and Aeleus was sitting at the foot of the bed, so agitated that he was fiddling with one of his old puzzle-rings.

"Yes. There were Creepers, Dusks, and Assassins, and two more breeds I didn't recognize," Ienzo elaborated.

Aeleus frowned and sat his puzzle down. He glanced over his shoulder at the young man who was like a kid brother to him, more so than he was to the other apprentices. "Unidentified Nobody types? How can that be? Xemnas claimed that all Nobodies in the Realm of Light served the Organization."

"That could have been his vanity talking," said Dilan dismissively, as if the mystery of the unidentified Nobodies was no more than a trifling curiosity. "Or perhaps Xemnas kept them a secret from the rest of us. Or possibly Xemnas didn't even know of them. They could be serving the true Xehanort, now that he's returned, or maybe they're not connected to Xehanort or the Organization at all. Nobodies aren't like the Emblem Heartless, after all. While the Organization _arranged_ for many of them to be made," everyone present had to repress a shudder as they remembered some of the more repugnant duties they had performed for the Organization; Dilan continued, "we didn't actually _manufacture_ them. These could be Nobodies that came about without any input on our part. The Organization's part, I mean."

"We know what you meant," said Aeleus solemnly, "But it can't be a coincidence. A large, co-ordinated group of lesser Nobodies appearing on the same world at the same time as us, attacking the vessel we arrived on?" Aeleus only said so much when he needed to, but he said no more. He knew Dilan was smart enough to draw the right conclusion on his own.

"You think Xehanort sent them," Dilan surmised, "And unfortunately, I agree. Wish it weren't so, but it is the most–the _only_ –logical explanation. Question is, could it have possibly…wait, no, there's another possibility!" Dilan exclaimed abruptly, his eyes growing wide. Ienzo seemed to have reached the same idea at the same time, because he said in tandem with Dilan, " _Maleficent!_ "

Dilan stared at Ienzo, who returned a sheepish grin; he had no intention of upstaging his elder. To his (and Aeleus's) surprise, Dilan chuckled and said, "Go on, then."

Ienzo's face flushed with flattered embarrassment, but he cleared his throat and went on, "Well, the account Riku gave us of the battle at the Castle That Never Was stated that Maleficent and Pete turned up at the castle with intent to take it over after the Keyblade wielders drove Xemnas out. Sora saw nothing of her afterwards, but there's no reason to assume that Maleficent didn't succeed in taking over the castle. With all the Organization members gone there would be no one to direct the lesser Nobodies, and the profusion of Heartless that resulted from the destruction of the false Kingdom Hearts would not have posed a serious problem given Maleficent's ability to control the Heartless. And with the Castle under her control, Maleficent would have access to the reserve Nobodies we kept in storage."

"But you need to _be_ a Nobody to control lesser Nobodies," said Aeleus.

"Said Xemnas, who also told us that Nobodies can't grow back their own hearts and many other lies," said Ienzo. "Granted, I don't see how lying about controlling Nobodies would have benefitted him, but the point stands that he was a terribly unreliable source of information."

"On the other hand, who's to say that Maleficent _isn't_ a Nobody now?" asked Dilan. Ienzo and Aeleus both stared at him. "Sorry, Ienzo, it seems you only had half the brainwave I did. Look at it this way: we know that Riku, while under Xehanort's possession, used the Keyblade to unlock the power of darkness in Maleficent's heart, after which she transformed into a monstrous dragon. Sora destroyed her, and a year later she inexplicably returns in Yen Sid's Mysterious Tower, _which is in the Realm of In-Between_ , according to the Three Good Fairies. But who's to say that 'unlocking the power of darkness in her heart' wasn't just a fancy way of saying that her heart was _consumed_ by the Darkness? That Dragon could have been her Heartless, and the Maleficent that returned last year and has been operating since may have really been Maleficent's _Nobody_ all along. Granted, you guess is as good as mine why it would take a year for her to come back, but we do know that Naminé's memory-unchaining-and-rechaining had strange side-effects on a lot of people who were connected to Sora. I can't prove this hypothesis…but it's plausible, don't you fellows think?"

Ienzo and Aeleus thought it over. At length, Aeleus said, "It's not exactly airtight…but yes, it is plausible."

"It _would_ explain the two attacks occurring at the same time," concurred Ienzo, "if both were being directed by a common master."

Dilan pushed himself off the wall and produced his pocket-computer. "I'm sending a message to Lea and Even to hold their position and wait for us to pick them up in the morning. We'll set out at first light. We'll get around to dealing with Maleficent, if she really is here, but our priority is finding Marluxia's Other. So far, our best lead seems to be this Rozera place. For now, let's get our rest."

Aeleus stood up and followed Dilan out of the room, stopping in the doorway to look back and say, "Good night, Ienzo."

"Good night, Aeleus," Ienzo replied. A moment later, he was alone. _'Should I have told them about…the one who saved me?'_ he thought to himself. _'No. I promised I wouldn't, after all,'_ he decided before rolling over and letting his fatigue pull him under, into blissful dream-land.

 _Twenty-four years ago:_

He was shaken awake, not roughly the way Corbin did, but so gently that when he awoke he didn't realize he _was_ being shaken awake at first. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and looked to his right; there, in his own cot, Corbin still slept like a log being sawed in half. Next, he looked to the left, where the shaking had come from. There, kneeling beside his cot, was a girl with a lit candle in hand. Not the princess; this girl was taller, skinnier, with a freckled face and muddy-brown eyes. Her fine dress still stuck out like a sore thumb in the humble wooden shack where he and his caretaker dwelt. He took an educated guess that she was one of the princess's handmaidens. "Oo the ruddy 'ell ah you, an' watcha doin' in 'ere?" he asked roughly, forcing his voice several octaves lower than the norm. Then he gave what he hoped looked like a convincingly lecherous grin and asked, "Ye come lookin' fer a stallion ta ride?"

The handmaiden just rolled her eyes. "Don't bother concealing your identity, knave. You're the only _boy_ here, let alone the only one with blue eyes; I _know_ you're the one the princess encountered."

His expression became neutral, and he spoke normally, "What do you want with me? I have no intention of going down to that lake again–not at night anyways. Tell the princess that I meant what I said last night. I meant her no harm. I still mean her no harm. Now, Corbin is still asleep, which means it's _way_ too early for me to be awake. And unlike you and your mistress, I have a day of hard work ahead of me. So leave me be so I can go back to sleep."

The handmaiden stood up. "The princess commands an audience. You must obey her summons or risk losing your head." With that she stood up, turned around, and went back outside.

Groaning, he got out of the cot and stretched its thin sheet back over it, then put on his breeches, shirt, and the bandana that he always tied around his head. Finally, he pulled on over his shirt a brown tunic that designated him as a farmer. The Crest of Rozera, a highly stylized rose, was embroidered in red on the tunic to mark him as one of the farmers who tended the castle's private wheat field. The castle kept its own wheat field so that the Florises could make sure they had the best wheat in the kingdom, which in turn became flour of the highest quality, which the Florises had turned into the most exquisite of pastries. Because pastries were that big of a deal to the House of Floris. Ensuring the quality of the wheat was the responsibility of the Royal Agriculturist, which was Corbin. Despite the title, Corbin lived and worked right alongside the other dozen farmhands, and being his ward/apprentice had never afforded the boy any special treatment. Unless you counted the fact that he only had to share his living space with Corbin, rather than the rest of the farmhands.

He slipped outside; it was indeed obscenely early, as it was still pitch-dark out. The handmaiden was waiting for him, and without a word she turned and strode away towards the castle. He followed, and was led directly to a modest door set in the castle's side. A servant's entrance, most likely. It let them right into the kitchen, where the princess was sitting at a table with a lantern, waiting for them.

"Thank you, Patience. You can go back to bed," said the princess.

The handmaiden, Patience, seemed hesitant. "Are you certain, Milady?"

"I'll be fine," she replied resolutely.

Patience took a moment to spare him a dirty look that promised all kinds of horrible comeuppances if anything happened to the princess, and then smartly departed. When she was well away, the princess gestured and ordered, "Be seated, farmboy."

"As you wish," he sneered, giving a mock bow before complying.

"And take that silly thing off of your head," she further ordered.

His eyes widened. "I can't," he blurted immediately. "I…I'm not allowed–"

"You are so, because your _princess_ ordered you to," she pressed. When he hesitated further, she added, "Unlike before, I have the upper-hand. You're in the castle when you've no right to; that door behind you locked as soon as Patience closed it. Should I scream, a guard will be here in minutes. Father may scold me for being out of bed to get a midnight snack, but he'll be mostly furious at you for being in here. And whatever you may say will be your word against mine."

To the princess's surprise, given her expression, the boy smiled. "You and I are more alike than I reckoned, Princess. You're a far cry from the icon of purity and sweetness that your ilk are so often portrayed as."

The princess narrowed her eyes. "Purity and sweetness only go so far in the real world, as Father and my tutors delight in reminding me."

"Have I your word that you won't tell anyone, if I do remove my head-wrap?"

"Tell anyone what?"

"You'll know when you see it."

The princess, again going by her expression, seemed equal parts annoyed and intrigued. "Very well," she said with a wave of her hand. She crossed her heart and said, "Whatever your _other_ secret is, it's safe with me."

He didn't ask her what secret she already thought he had. He already had his suspicions, and they chilled him to the core. He reached up and slipped his thumbs under the bandana, and carefully peeled it forward and off of his head. As he dropped it into his lap, he could barely hold back his smile at the way her jaw dropped and her eyes popped. "You…your hair," she gasped in a strangled whisper.

Running his hand over the short pink fluff he could only give the princess his driest smile; Corbin shaved him bald every morning, as he was under orders to do, but by the next morning it had always grown back at least an inch. And it was the exact same vibrant pink hue as the princess's. "How?" she demanded to know.

The boy shrugged. "How should I know? I'm just a ten-year-old boy, and it's not as though any members of the royal family inexplicably vanished almost eleven years ago. And it's not like my caretaker, Corbin Wiser, used to be a knight of Rozera and a member of the royal guard who was responsible for protecting that hypothetical missing royal until her–or his, for argument's sake–mysterious disappearance and his own subsequent banishment to the wheat fields." No one had ever told him the truth, especially not Corbin, but he was smart. He could read between the lines.

The princess could too, it would seem, as she only thought over his words for a moment before her eyes widened again. "You mean to say–or rather, imply, I suppose–that you're the _illegitimate_ son of my missing aunt, the Grand Duchess Rosanna?"

The boy only shrugged again. "My hair is the royal pink for _some_ reason, and I suppose anything is possible."

"But, it's _bright_ , like mine," the princess added. He knew what she meant; most of the Florises, His Majesty included, had hair of a darker shade, more Dusty Rose than Salmon.

"You felt what I felt when we touched," he offered by way of an explanation, "So tell me, Your Highness…do you like plants?"

"I…" the princess began, but words seemed to fail her. Instead, she reached under the table and produced a clay pot full of rich black soil. She sat it down and hold her hand over it, palm down, and closed her eyes. Her hair began to glimmer with a soft aura of magic, and after a moment a green light seemed to glow from under the soil. It stirred, and a bit of green poked out, growing right before his eyes until it was a short, springy little stem with a couple little leaves and topped by a budding bulb. The princess withdrew her hand and opened her eyes, looking at him expectantly. He obliged her, but made no gestures. He only stared at the budding flower, and sparks flared from his own short-cropped hair as the flower rapidly shot up and blossomed, and continued growing until the princess was staring agape at a dahlia that was twice the size it should have been, and moreover seemed to give off its own ethereal aura even after the boy exhaled and the light faded from his hair. "Wow," she murmured softly.

He just shrugged. "It's probably just that I practice more than you. I can feel the power in you, too, just as strongly as my own. Or maybe it's that I live out there, closer to the land than you do."

"Can you teach me…Cousin?" the princess asked, behaving humbly for a change.

The appellation, however appropriate it _might_ have been, put him ill at ease. "My name is…not Cousin, anyways," he said stiffly. He thought it over a bit, and realized that if she _really_ wanted to know his name, there was nothing to stop her from asking around. So he told her.

As he predicted, she raised a brow and commented, "That's…an unusual name."

"That's why I don't like giving it out when I can avoid it," he snapped.

"Well, as long as we're alone, Cousin is a good enough substitute isn't it?" she asked, seeming almost eager now.

He could only sigh. "Have it your way…Cousin." He frowned. "Don't you feel just the least bit threatened by this? I mean…I may be younger than you, and I may not have your father's favor, but I _am_ a male of the royal bloodline. And the upside of being a peasant is that you know what the other peasants think of the king. Your father's…not the most popular man in the kingdom, to put it mildly."

The princess frowned, but she shrugged. "Assuming Father doesn't inspire the people to revolt first, I will take the throne when my time comes and show everyone that I have the kingdom's best interests at heart. They're too smart to say anything about it, but I suspect my tutors don't care for his way of doing things either. And…I have dreams, sometimes, of when the land was healthier. When the people were happier. I think our Fey cousins send me these dreams, telling me that I have the power to make things better again." She gave him a friendly smile, though her eyes grew a bit icy, "Whether you support me or get in my way is entirely up to you, _farmboy_."

Despite the less-than-subtle threat, he could only chuckle. "A princess after my own heart." He stood up and gave a mock bow, "Right then, consider me at your service, Princess Hanna."

For the first time, Hanna gave him a smile that didn't seem at all calculated. "You and I…we're going to get along famously, I think."

A/N: And so, after a long day of reconnaissance, our heroes are ready to rest and have made plans for tomorrow. While the Four Apprentices travel to the kingdom of Rozera in search of their former comrade, Lea and his new friends investigate a mystical spring in search of the cause for the Treants' rage. Are the Heartless and Nobodies that trouble our heroes really being controlled by a common master, and is there some connection between them and the corrupted nature spirits? And what possible chain of events could possibly have led a seemingly innocent farmboy to become the Graceful Assassin? Who saved Ienzo, why did they save Ienzo, and why did they ask the former Cloaked Schemer not to mention them? And will we ever learn Marluxia's true name?! Only time will tell, dear readers, so please wait patiently for the next chapter! And if you really want to inspire me to hit the grindstone hard, please be sure to leave plenty of reviews!

Wolfman, ow-out!


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